ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Flagler women's volleyball team opened the 2026 Flagler Invitational in dominant fashion with a pair of straight set sweeps on Friday. The Saints handled Lees-McRae in the afternoon match 3-0 before taking down Saint Leo in the nightcap 3-0.
QUOTES FROM COACH
"It's always a good day when you can pick up back-to-back, three set victories."
Jeff Reynolds said. "We had some continuity issues in our first match of the day and managed to work through those throughout the day." Reynolds said. "And then this evening we were able to put together a complete match. I'm really pleased with how well we played as a unit and continued to build on our success from earlier in the day." Reynolds said.
"The key is to get some good rest this evening and come back and do it against tomorrow against two very good opponents." Reynolds said.
Flagler vs. Lees-McRae
Score: Flagler 3, Lees-McRae 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-12)
Location: St. Augustine, Florida (Flagler Gymnasium)
Records: Flagler (3-2), Lees-McRae (0-6)
The Short Story: In the 2026 home opener on Friday afternoon, the Flagler women's volleyball team used a balanced offensive attack and lethal accuracy from the service line to take down Lees-McRae in straight sets.
OPENING VOLLEY
- Gia Lowe turned in her fourth match this season with double digit kills as the freshman led the Saints with a team-high 11 kills.
- The freshmen tandem of Jilly Young and Bella Law set up the Saints attack with 15 assists and 12 assists, respectively.
- Naomi Locklear led Lees-McRae with 11 kills on the day.
THE DIFFERENCE
- Trailing 6-5 in the opening set, Flagler sparked a 7-1 run behind kills from Marley Middlebrooks and Marley Phillips paired with three attacking errors from the Bobcats to grab a commanding 13-7 advantage. The Saints would close the opening set on a 6-1 surge to secure a 25-15 win in the first frame.
- Another run early in the second set proved to be the difference again for the Saints. Trailing 7-4 early, the Flagler attack found a rhythm and sparked a 6-1 run behind four kills and an ace to grab their first lead of the set. Lees-McRae didn't shy away as the Bobcats strung together a 6-0 run to tie it 21-21 and force a Flagler timeout. The Saints came out of the intermission and rallied four consecutive points to snag a 25-21 victory and jolt ahead 2-0.
- Trailing 8-7, Flagler went on another extended 7-0 run to control a 14-8 advantage at the halfway point. Jolie Trudeau got the rally started with back-to-back kills while Marley Middlebrooks added a pair of service aces during the run. The Saints used the momentum to solidify a straight set sweep over the Bobcats in the home opener.
Flagler College vs. Saint Leo
Score: Flagler 3, Saint Leo 0 (25-20, 25-12, 27-25)
Location: St. Augustine, Florida (Flagler Gymnasium)
Records: Flagler (4-2), Saint Leo (1-4)
The Short Story: Behind an impressive .308 hitting percentage, the Flagler women's volleyball team took down Saint Leo in three sets to open the 2026 Flagler Invitational with a 2-0 record. The Saints used explosive runs, in part to an impressive serve-receive in all three sets to control the tempo.
OPENING VOLLEY
- Marley Middlebrooks led the Saints attack with a game-high 16 kills and an impressive .412 hitting percentage.
- Gia Lowe continued her hot start, adding 12 kills and five digs in the victory.
- Freshman setter Jilly Young turned in her first collegiate double-double with a game-high 36 assists and 10 digs.
- Flagler neutralized the Lions serve-receive opportunities and controlled the tempo in the second set with a 91-percent side-out percentage.
- Reagan Lyerla and Shelby Toney led the Saint Leo attack with 12 kills each.
THE DIFFERENCE
- After falling behind 10-6 early in the opening set, Flagler sparked a lengthy 9-2 run to take a 15-12 lead into the break. Bella Ciolino started the rally with a pair of service aces while three different Saints earned a kill during the run. Flagler saw the lead grow to as much as seven, but a quick 4-1 run from Saint Leo cut the deficit back to four. The Saints would capitalize on an errant Lions serve to secure the first set.
- The second set opened with a back-and-forth start before Flagler found a groove with a 6-1 run that forced a Saint Leo timeout as the lead was five. During the run, Jillian Young and Jolie Trudeau landed aces while Giavonna Lowe and Gracie Fleming added three kills combined. The Saints closed the second frame on a 10-2 surge, including five straight points behind two kills and pair of aces to grab a commanding two set lead.
- Similar to the first two sets, Flagler ripped off another 7-1 run to extend their lead to 12-7. The Saints capitalized on three Lions errors with three kills of their own during the run. Saint Leo managed to trim the deficit back down and tied the match late in the third set. However, back-to-back kills from Marley Middlebrooks at the end sealed a 27-25 victory and a straight set sweep on Friday night.
NEXT UP
Flagler will turn their attention to day two of the Flagler Invitational on Saturday, September 5
th. The Saints will open the day against Valdosta State at 12:30 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend against Maryville at 5:30 p.m. Admission to all matches at the Flagler Invitational are free and open to the public.
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