Jimmies Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Emmanuel College

FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga.  (UJ) — Clark Steele (JR/Lake Forest, Calif.) had a record-setting performance for the fifth-ranked University of Jamestown men’s volleyball team Friday night.

Steele broke his previous three-set record of 17 kills, finishing with 18, in helping the Jimmies to a sweep of NCAA Division II Emmanuel College. Set scores were 25-18, 25-17, 25-16.

Jamestown improves to 13-2 overall and extended its winning streak to seven matches. UJ will conclude its spring trip with a 6 p.m. match at Limestone (S.C.) College Saturday.

The Jimmies opened Friday’s match with a bang, hitting .591 in the first set with just two errors in 22 attempts. Emmanuel tied the set at 14 but a Steele kill started a 4-0 run that opened up some breathing room for UJ, which never trailed by less than four the rest of the set.

Emmanuel took a 9-5 lead in the second set, but Jamestown rebounded with nine straight points, turning an 11-11 tie into a nine-point lead. UJ would lead by as many as 10 points in set two, eventually settling for a 25-17 win.

UJ opened up a 17-9 lead in the set three and were never really threatened by the Lions. Emmanuel did not put together back-to-back points after getting as close as 9-7. The Jimmies outhit the Lions in the final set .476 to -.038.

Derek Owens (FR/Andover, Minn.) added six kills while Tanner Woods (FR/Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Caylor Cox (FR/Helena, Mont.) had four each. Derek Correa (FR/Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) had 34 assists. Cox led the defense with six digs, followed by Braden Neumann (JR/Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Woods with five. Austin Jacob (FR/Houston, Texas) and Owens both had three total blocks.