JSU vs. MURRAY STATE: LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO

MURRAY, Ky. – The Jacksonville State volleyball team gets its longest road swing since September underway this weekend, when they travel to Murray State and Austin Peay for a pair of key Ohio Valley Conference matches.
 
The Gamecocks (16-11, 7-3 OVC) will play their next five matches away from home, beginning with a 7 p.m. Friday showdown with league leading Murray State (18-4, 9-1 OVC).  JSU is currently tied for third place with Eastern Kentucky, one game behind Belmont in second and two behind the Racers as the home stretch in the regular season winds down.
 
"If we are going to have a chance to win the regular season, we have to win Friday night, but I'm not really concerned about that," JSU head coach Terry Gamble said. "We are going to go play hard like we always do. Murray State is really good. They have some good players, and I think it is going to be good for us to see them, so if we do run up against them in the conference tournament, we will know what they do and will be more prepared."
 
The Racers have been atop the league standings for much of the season and will look to solidify their chances to stay their starting with JSU's visit on Friday. The Gamecocks will then head to Clarksville, Tenn., for Saturday's match against the Lady Govs (11-15, 5-5 OVC), who are also fighting in the conference standings.
 
"Austin Peay lost two matches last weekend, but they had their best player get hurt," Gamble said. "She should be back playing for them this weekend, so they will be better than what they played last weekend. They're going to be in the tournament, as well, so it will be tough to play them on the road."
 
JSU is coming off a split last weekend against Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky at home, a stretch that saw the defending champion Eagles claim Friday's match in five sets before the Gamecocks regrouped to down the Colonels in five on Saturday.
 
"Friday night against Morehead State was a disappointment and probably the worst we've played in a long time," Gamble said. "We stepped up Saturday and did a really nice job against Eastern Kentucky. We did get a split though, and that was important for us in conference.
 
Most recently, JSU swept Alabama State on Tuesday in a match that was taken over by senior middle blocker Nicole Merget. The Canton, Mich., native knocked down 16 kills on 19 swings for a .789 attack percentage to lead the Gamecock attack.
 
"(Nicole) was incredible.," Gamble added. "The big compliment to her is that she worked hard to get swings. The transition into the slide is really tough and takes a lot of work, and she did that. I was really happy for her and it was good to see her be able to do that."