JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team is set to host a three-match homestand to open up Ohio Valley Conference play at Pete Mathews Coliseum this weekend.
 
The Gamecocks (7-8) will kick off OVC play on Friday with a match against Austin Peay (3-12) at 7 p.m. before taking on Murray State (10-4) on Saturday at 7 p.m. JSU will then host Tennessee Tech (4-6) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to close out the opening slate of conference matches. Admission is free to all home matches.
 
Jax State is coming off a 1-2 performance at the Tennessee Invitational that was highlighted by a 3-2 upset over the host Lady Vols. Senior Kelly Cole was named to the All-Tournament Team while helping JSU rally after dropping the first two sets to pull off the 21-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-11 come-from-behind upset.
 
Cole currently enters OVC play ranked fourth in the conference with 4.60 digs per set. The Mishawaka, Ind., native now has 1,138 career digs, which rank seventh in school history.
 
Sophomore Emily Rutherford enters conference play ranked sixth in the OVC with 3.22 digs per set. Junior Nicole Merget leads the OVC with 1.04 blocks per set and ranks fifth with a .306 hitting percentage.
 
APSU enters Friday's matchup after going 1-2 at the Memphis Invitational. The Lady Govs defeated La Salle before falling to UALR and Memphis. Senior Calyn Hull leads the Lady Govs on the season with 3.04 kills per set.
 
MSU brings the best non-conference record in the OVC into Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Racers won the High Point Classic last week after defeating Davidson, High Point and North Carolina A&T. Sophomore Sam Bedard was named tournament MVP after recording 101 assists, including a career-high 65 assists against Davidson. Bedard currently ranks second in the OVC with 9.94 assists per game.