JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team lost a tough one Saturday, falling to Morehead State, 3-1, to close out the home weekend.
 
JSU (11-15, 2-6 Ohio Valley Conference) won the opening set of the afternoon before being edged out in the next three. MSU (11-15, 4-4 OVC) keeps its conference record at .500 with the win, and is still yet to lose in Jacksonville since 2009.
 
What was a young lineup already to begin the season, has seen youth become even more important due to team injuries. On Saturday, Jax State's nine participants consisted of four sophomores and five true freshmen.
 
"Besides the score, I'm really happy with the way our young players played," said head coach Terry Gamble afterwards. "To play all freshmen and sophomores all weekend, and still have opportunities to win; I'm happy with that effort."
 
"I hate that we have to turn around and play (Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky) next weekend. They get us again without us having a chance to get gain any experience. But we'll go out and play hard."
 
For the second night in a row, sophomore Allyson Zuhlke put away the most kills for the Gamecocks. The Tomball, Texas, native had 17 on Saturday, tying her season-best mark and just one shy of her career-high of 18, which she did twice last season. Fellow sophomore Charis Ludtke was the only other JSU player in double figures with 14 kills.
 
Coming off the bench, freshman Mandee Eberle set a new personal best for her young career with nine kills hitting .240 overall. It topped her previous mark of seven against UAB. Sophomore Jennifer Hart had a strong outing recording 41 of the team's 47 total assists, while also matching her season-best mark with 17 digs.
 
Behind Hart, sophomore libero Hannah Kirk's 14 digs were the next highest for the Gamecocks. The back row for JSU faced a difficult task in slowing down one of the strongest attack lineups in the OVC. Aside from the .455 mark allowed in the third set, Morehead State failed to hit over .211 in the remaining three frames.
 
MSU led the opening frame, 11-8, until a 9-0 run powered by Zuhlke and Eberle gave way to a 17-11 JSU advantage. Jax State hit a match-best .357 in the first set en route to a 25-18 win.
 
In the second, the Eagles responded with a major run of their own, 7-0, to grab an early lead forcing a Gamecock timeout. JSU would come back to tie the set and eventually lead, 15-11. MSU finished on a strong 14-4 run to claim the set, 25-19, and even the match at one set apiece.
 
The Gamecocks trailed late in the third, 21-17, before Zuhlke and Ludtke each had two quick kills in a span that pulled JSU within one, 23-22. Back-to-back kills from MSU's freshman standout Merideth Jewell secured the set for the Eagles. Jewell finished the day with 21 kills.
 
The young Gamecocks were there again in closing time of the fourth frame, trailing by only one, 19-18. But a couple of miscues cost JSU down the stretch, falling 25-21.
 
JSU will immediately turn around and travel to face the same Morehead State team in less than a week's time next Friday. The Gamecocks then make a visit to Friday night's opposition, Eastern Kentucky, on Saturday afternoon in Richmond, Ky.