Box Score FINAL STATS (.pdf)

TROY – Terry Gamble got his first win as the head coach of the Jacksonville State volleyball program and the 800th of his coaching career on Thursday with a sweep of Alabama A&M in the opener of the Troy Invitational.
 
The Gamecocks (1-4) cruised against the in-state Bulldogs (1-4), holding them off 25-19 in the first set before rolling to a 25-15 second-set win and a more lopsided 25-9 third set. It is the second win in as many all-time meetings between JSU and AAMU.
 
The win is an historic one for the Gamecocks' first-year coach, who brought a 799-236 career record in 19 years to JSU when he was hired in March.
 
"I thought we played good at times and made some young mistakes at times," Gamble said of the match. "Getting my 800th win is an achievement I owe to all of the schools, administrations, assistant coaches and players that have helped win those matches. I'm very honored to do it in Gamecock gear and hope we get a lot more."
 
The Gamecocks used a .319 attack percentage and held their opponent to an .080 percentage to dispose of the Bulldogs quickly. Junior Emily Rutherford led all players with 15 kills on a .429 attack percentage to pace the JSU offensive attack.
 
True freshman setter Jennifer Hart had one of her best performances in her young collegiate career with 31 of the Gamecocks' 36 assists. The Davidson, N.C., native recorded an assist on all but 10 JSU kills.
 
Junior Samantha Bohne led the JSU defense with a match-high 17 digs, while Rutherford added nine digs to come up just one shy of a double-double.
 
Freshman Allyson Zuhlke added eight kills, while senior Nicole Merget pitched in seven.
 
The Bulldogs got seven kills from Ashundra McNeal, while Rebecca Cortez led their back row with nine digs.
 
JSU will conclude play in the Troy Invitational on Friday with a pair of matches. The Gamecocks will play Mercer at 12 p.m. before taking on the host Trojans at 7 p.m. All matches will be played in Trojan Arena.