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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Jacksonville State volleyball team closed its non-conference schedule on a high note on Saturday, when a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-14) sweep of Western Carolina capped a split on the final day of the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge.

After dropping a 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-12) match to undefeated Ball State (9-0) earlier in the day, the Gamecocks (2-8) rolled past Western Carolina (2-8) to round out the tournament. The win caps what has been a tough preseason for JSU and gives the Gamecocks some momentum heading into Tuesday's home opener and Ohio Valley Conference opener vs. Tennessee Tech.

In the win over the Catamounts, Senior Liza Senenkova was the only player with double-digit kills with 12 on just 22 swings. The Tashkent, Uzbekistan, native also put back three blocks for a front row that blocked seven total attacks by WCU. Senenkova's performance capped a weekend that landed her on the Active Ankle Challenge All-Tournament Team. Junior Lauren Harkins added seven kills for the JSU offense, while picking up seven digs on the other side of the JSU net.

“This was a nice team win to set us up for the start of OVC play,” JSU head coach Joseph Goodson said. “Our ball control was spot on all weekend, and the girls stayed positive and enthusiastic and finished the weekend on a great note. Also, Liza had a great tournament for us. She was dominant all weekend.”

Freshman Alina Agamy also dug seven balls for the Gamecocks to go along with her 13 assists. Sophomore Kelly Cole added six digs for a JSU defense that held the Catamounts to an .077 attack percentage. Sophomores Lauren Busing and Abbey Heredia each had four digs, while Heredia led the Gamecocks with 16 assists.

The Catamounts managed just 21 kills in the three sets, paced by Rebecca stoltz's six.

In the opening match of the day, the Gamecocks jumped on Ball State, hitting .320 to pull off a 25-23 win and take the early 1-0 lead. The Cardinals (9-0) answered in a big way, however, rattling off three-straight sets to remain undefeated with the 3-1 win.

“You have to credit Ball State for elevating their level of play when they needed to,” Goodson said. “Despite the outcomes, we are making improvements. We just have to be more disciplined, especially on big points and in key moments in the match.”

In that opening set, the Gamecocks held the Cardinals to a .147 attack percentage and forced eight attack errors and four service errors. Senenkova notched four of her team-high 11 kills in that set.

The Cardinals picked it up from that point, hitting at least .296 in each of the final three sets, while grabbing 37 of their 47 total digs. Kelsey Brandl led their offense with 16 digs on just 20 attacks for a .650 attack percentage, while Catie Fredrich paced the BSU defense with 14 digs.

Senior Stephanie Koontz found the floor on 10 kills to join Senenkova as the team's lone players in double figures in that category. Sophomore Kelly Cole led the Gamecock defense with 11 digs, while Heredia's 20 assists were also a team high.

The Gamecocks will host TTU on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum to start a two-match homestand. Admission is free to all JSU home matches.