JACKSONVILLE –The Jacksonville State volleyball team is set to kickoff Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend, when the Gamecocks hit the road for the fifth straight weekend to play Austin Peay (6-9) and Murray State (2-7) before facing Tennessee Tech (2-10) in a mid-week matchup.

The Gamecocks will travel to Clarksville, Tenn., to face APSU at 7 p.m. on Friday and then head to Murray, Ky., to take on MSU on Saturday at 2 p.m. On Tuesday, JSU will end its 17-match road swing in Cookeville, Tenn., against TTU at 2 p.m.

The Gamecocks finished non-conference play with a 6-8 record that was highlighted by winning the Alabama State ISTAP Invitational. Several players received accolades during the grueling non-conference schedule, including Kelsey Anderson being named MVP of the ISTAP Invitational, Jen Meyer being named to the All-Tournament team at the ISTAP Tournament and the Auburn Invitational, Nicole Merget being named to the Central Arkansas Invitational All-Tournament team, and Emily Rutherford being named to the All-Tournament team at the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge.

JSU will face an Austin Peay team that is 4-1 in its last five matches after starting the season 2-8. The Lady Govs feature Preseason All-OVC selection Nikki Doyle and sophomore Jada Stotts, who ranks second in the OVC with 3.82 kills per set. Setter Cami Fields currently ranks third in the OVC with 9.83 assists per set. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series against APSU 12-10 and have split the season match-up the past two seasons.

MSU enters the weekend having lost its last three matches of the season and have lost six-straight matches to the Gamecocks dating back to 2009. The Gameocks have dominated the all-time series 13-3 since joining the OVC in 2003. Freshman Kristen Besselsen leads the Lady Racers with 2.73 kills per set, while setter Lio Havili averages 8.4 assists per set.

The Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech currently hold the worst record in the OVC and snapped a nine-match losing streak by sweeping Alcorn State last Saturday for the second time this season. JSU holds a 12-7 edge in the all-time series and swept the Golden Eagles 3-0 and 3-2 in 2011.

The Gamecocks will return home for their home opener on Saturday Sept. 29 against Southeast Missouri at 7 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Admission is free for all JSU home volleyball matches.