JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team completed its second sweep of the first home weekend, Sunday afternoon with a (25-20, 25-13, 25-18) victory over the Skyhawks of UT Martin.
 
JSU (10-11, 2-2 Ohio Valley Conference) becomes just the second team in the 12-member conference to reach double-digit wins this season. The victory moved Jax State's all-time record against UTM (6-15, 2-2 OVC) to 15-5 in favor of the Rd and White.
 
Sophomore Charis Ludtke had a big day with a team-high 14 kills. On defense, the native of Hamburg, Germany, contributed five digs and two more blocks. Ludtke's balanced day summed up how many of the Gamecocks performed in the win.
 
Freshman Kim Krutsinger's .571 hitting percentage was the best of five Gamecocks who boasted marks above .333 on the day. Senior Emily Rutherford hit .333 with 10 kills in her double-double performance also finishing with 11 digs. Sophomore Allyson Zuhlke had an identical .333 attack percentage finishing the day with six put aways, while freshman Mackenzie Rombach's six kills came off a .385 hitting mark. The balanced attack is credit to sophomore setter Jennifer Hart, who finished the match with 30 assists and three kills of her own.
 
The Skyhawks struggled offensive most of the day courtesy of a strong JSU defense. Rutherford's 11 digs were a team best just ahead of sophomore libero Hannah Kirk's 10. Six other Gamecocks each recorded digs for a team total of 48.
 
JSU, donning special pink uniforms for the second game in a row, took control of the opening set following a one-point score at 12-11. A 5-1 run gave the Gamecocks separation and a lead which would remain. The 25-20 outcome was the closest of the game's three sets. Five Gamecocks had three or more kills in the first frame alone as the home squad posted a combined .417 hitting percentage.
 
The offense picked up in the second where it left off in the first. Jax State jumped out a 6-1 advantage forcing a UTM timeout. The Gamecocks didn't look back en route to a 25-13 win. Ludtke exploded for eight kills on 10 swings for a .800 mark in the second set. Behind her, Rutherford's four kills and Zuhlke's .571 set percentage led the way for JSU.
 
JSU quickly took the lead in the third and final set, but the Skyhawks would not go lightly. A 4-1 UTM run evened the set a 18-18, before Rutherford's kill on the ensuing serve sparked a string of seven-straight points taking the set and match.
 
Head coach Terry Gamble was pleased with his how his team performed in the first home conference match of the season.
 
"Another great crowd first of all, Sunday afternoon, that was a really nice crowd. They were loud again, our girls love that and that's really good," said Gamble following the match. "We came out in games one and two, and in the start of game three and executed our gameplan. Then in the middle of three, we kind of let up and we didn't really make some defensive plays that let them back in the game."
 
The Sunday afternoon victory signaled the end of opening weekend for the Gamecocks, but two 3-0 sweeps in front of a couple of energetic crowds was a great start in the newly renovated Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
"We've become one of the nicest places in the conference," added Gamble noting the influence the facility has for his team. "And it's fun, the atmosphere the last few days has been great. The fans are great. The floor's great. Our girls love it and it's just nice playing at home."
 
The Gamecocks step away from The Pete Tuesday afternoon with a quick trip to Alabama A&M before a travel weekend to Nashville, Tenn., to face Belmont and Tennessee State.