JACKSONVILLE – Junior Brittney Whitten knocked down a career-high 24 kills and added 21 digs, but it wasn't enough in a 3-1 loss to Austin Peay in Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

 

Whitten, a native of Boonville, Ind., bested her season-high by six kills and joined freshman Lauren Harkins as a pair of JSU players with 20 or more digs, but the Lady Govs (10-4, 2-0 OVC) rallied after a game one loss to pull out the 3-2 (24-26, 25-11, 25-23, 25-17) win over the Gamecocks (5-8, 1-1 OVC).

 

“Austin Peay is a much improved team, and the results of their schedule have shown that,” JSU head coach Rick Nold said. “I've told our kids that there are going to be a lot of teams like that in our conference. We just have to make sure that we come out and play our best game every time. They came out to play today, and we're going to have to commit to bringing our best game every time out.”

 

After losing sophomore Jennifer Williams to an injury on Friday, Whitten recorded her eighth double-double of the season and her second in as many days, thanks to a team-high .364 attack percentage. Sophomore Caitlin Vorbeck, a Raytown, Mo., native, hit .231 en route to a 13-kill performance, one that made her the only other JSU player with double figures in the kills column. Sophomore Brooke Schumacher dished out 45 assists for the Gamecock offense, and joined Whitten and Harkins in the defensive effort with 12 digs. It was the fourth double-double of the year and the second in as many matches for the Lake In The Hills, Ill., native.

 

“Especially when you're in a situation like we are with our lineup, we expect our leaders to step up and make plays,” Nold added. “I thought Brittney did tat all weekend for us, but we can't expect her to do everything. We're going to have to work on our rotations and find the best matchups we can to try and take some pressure off of her.”

 

The Lady Govs were led by Stephanie Champine, who recorded a double-double by leading the offense with 15 kills and finishing second on the squad with 18 digs. Sarah Alisaleh had 24 assists and 10 digs, while Marie Mullins added 22 assists.

 

The Gamecocks will return to the floor on Tuesday, when they host Tennessee Tech at 7 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The match will be the third in a five-match homestand for JSU. Admission is free for all fans.