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AUBURN – The Jacksonville State volleyball team dropped its final two matches of the War Eagle Invitational in Auburn on Saturday, losing to the host Tigers 3-0 and to Florida A&M 3-1.
 
The Gamecocks (6-8) opened the day by falling in three sets (12-25, 10-25, 15-25) to an SEC team in Auburn (7-5) that has now won 10 of its last 11 matches at home. The Tigers (7-5) used an exceptional offensive attack to help propel them to the victory behind a season-best .341 hitting percentage.
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JSU struggled, hitting -.037 in the loss. Senior Nicole Merget hit .333 to lead the team with five kills. Junior Samantha Bohne had a team high in digs with 11 against the tough AU offense. Freshman Hannah Kirk and junior Brianne Glidewell had eight and seven kills, respectively.
 
In the opening set, a few early Tiger miscues allowed JSU to grab a 3-1 led. However, Auburn quickly got back on track en route to a 25-12 set win. Auburn was ready from the start of the second set jumping out to a 9-0 lead. JSU committed 10 attack errors as the set went to Auburn, 25-10.
 
The Tigers closed out the match with a third set win of to claim their second-straight victory in the War Eagle Invitational.
 
Later in the day, JSU faced Florida A&M in their final match of the Tournament. Despite winning the opening set, Jacksonville State fell to the Rattlers (2-10), 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 21-25, 14-25).
 
For the second time on Saturday, senior Nicole Merget led the way in kills. The Canton, Mich., product recorded 12 kills followed by freshmen Allyson Zuhlke and Charis Ludtke, who each had eight.
 
Freshman Jennifer Hart dished 35 assists against Florida A&M to set up the Gamecock offense. Three Gamecocks had double-digit digs led by Kirk with 17, Bohne with 12 and Glidewell with 10.
 
JSU fell behind early in the first set, when FAMU jumped to a 6-1 lead. After a timeout, the Gamecocks regrouped to tie the set 11-11. A late 5-0 run aided by a few Ludtke kills gave the Gamecocks the edge they needed to seal a tight 25-21 set win.
 
The Rattlers answered by taking the next set 25-20 after leading the entire set from the opening point to tie the match 1-1 heading into the break.
 
Once underway, the third set appeared to be where the Gamecocks would take control of the match, as they jumped to a 7-1 lead. FAMU rallied back to tie the set 9-9, and a 15-14 score would be the final time the Gamecocks held the lead as the Rattlers advanced to take the set 25-21.
 
In the fourth set it was the Rattlers, who jumped out to a 7-1 lead and held on for the win.
 
"We struggled with ball control today," JSU head coach Terry Gamble said. "We play good at times and not good at times, but that's part of the learning curve. I think we are better than when we started. We are going to be up and down all year, as we rely on so many young players in important positions."
 
The Gamecocks play at home for the first time this season on Friday at 7 p.m. against SIU Edwardsville, a match that is also their conference opener. They will then host Eastern Illinois at 2 p.m. Saturday at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Admission is free to all JSU home volleyball matches.