TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Bulldogs started the season in impressive fashion on Friday in the Sunshine State. 

Yale defeated the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champ (Florida A&M) in the afternoon, and ended the day with a victory over the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt East Division (James Madison).

In a dominating performance, the Bulldogs swept JMU on Friday evening.  The scores of the match were 25-13, 25-13 and 25-16.

Gigi Barr had a team-best 10 kills, while Mila Yarich had nine and Cara Shultz had eight.  Maile Somera led the way with 13 digs on defense and also added two aces. 

The Bulldogs took the final three sets in a 3-1 victory over Flordia A&M to open the 2022 season.  The scores of the match were 26-28, 25-23, 25-15 and 25-13. 

Starting off their season in the afternoon, the Bulldogs held the Rattlers to a .145 hitting percentage and held a 59-43 advantage in digs.

Yale finished strong in the final set and hit .560 as a team.  Audrey Leak, Barr, Carly Diehl and Shultz all had kills as the Bulldogs opened the set on an 8-1 run. 

Diehl dished out 45 assists and added a team-best 16 digs with seven kills, while Shultz filled the stat sheet with a match-high 15 kills, three aces and two blocks. 

Yale hit .308 as a team and served an 11-4 edge in aces.   Somera, Bella Chan and Shultz had three aces each. 

The Bulldogs close out their trip tomorrow against Florida State.  The match is scheduled to begin at noon.