From rivals in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah, to teammates at Augusta University, seniors Jada Suguturaga and Marin Freeland have had quite the volleyball journey.
Both have made major contributions to the success of the Augusta volleyball team this season, as Suguturaga’s 1.52 blocks per set leads the nation in NCAA Division II, while Freeland is second on the team in kills, averaging 2.68 per set.
With their contributions, the Jaguars find themselves with a 3-3 Peach Belt Conference record and a 16-5 overall record coming off a 3-1 match win over UNC Pembroke on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Although Freeland and Suguturaga’s childhood homes are just a five-minute drive from one another, they were in different school districts.
Freeland, a communication major at AU, attended Herriman High School, while Suguturaga, a psychology graduate student, attended Bingham High School—both of which were in the same region, where the duo would play against each other twice per season.
The two did play for the same volleyball club in the spring and summer, Club Great Salt Lake, but because of their age difference, the only action they had on the court together was in scrimmages against one another.
As both went on to play junior college volleyball, their journey together continued. Suguturaga attended Casper College in Casper, Wyo., while Freeland attended Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyo.
Both of these junior colleges were in the Region 9 Conference, meaning Freeland and Suguturaga played against each other once again, this time at the college level.
Their friendship did not begin until college, where Suguturaga’s high school teammate, Ava Rasmussen, was roommates with Freeland at Central Wyoming.
Ultimately, it was because of this friendship that they became teammates at Augusta University.
“Last Christmas break we were all home and hanging out one night (Freeland, Suguturaga, and Rasmussen),” Suguturaga said. “Marin said that she was looking for a school and kind of jokingly said, ‘Jada, what if I email your school?’ And I said, ‘Do it. Why not?’ And it just went from there.”
After emailing Jaguar Coach Sharon Quarles, Freeland took a visit to Augusta University, loved the idea of finally teaming up with Suguturaga and ultimately enrolled for the fall of 2024.
“We’ve played against each other our whole lives, so it’s awesome now to be roommates and play our last season of volleyball with each other,” said Freeland.
And they have played very well—together. Suguturaga is having a standout senior season that will likely lead to major postseason honors. She has a team-best 118 blocks and a very respectable 140 kills while hitting at a .266 attack rate (well above average). The powerful Freeland, whose brother Blake Freeland is an offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL, is second on the team with 173 kills.
Thursday’s victory over UNC Pembroke marks Augusta’s fourth straight win after starting the season 12-5 overall and 1-3 in Peach Belt Conference play.
Suguturaga had seven kills and four blocks against the Braves, while Freeland knocked down four kills.
Teammate Layne Witherspoon led AU with 13 kills, and Mikayla Kline, the junior from Lakeside High School in Evans, added 12 kills for Augusta.
The Jaguars, who have four straight Peach Belt crowns, are also in the top 10 of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings, as they look to extend their win streak to five straight matches if they can manage a victory at Georgia College, Saturday, Nov. 9. The contest begins at 3 p.m.
J. Ben Haynes is a senior communication major and outfielder on the baseball team at Augusta University.
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