JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team was defeated 3-1 by the Cougars of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
If there's a growing nemesis for the Gamecocks in the Ohio Valley Conference it may be SIUE, the Cougars now own a 6-1 series lead since the two teams first met in 2011.
 
The Gamecocks (17-13, 5-5) fell in a 2-0 match hole for the second day in a row, failing to record a single block in the first two frames. SIUE (15-6, 8-2 OVC) retained its spot in second-place in the conference standings with the win.
 
Junior Allyson Zuhlke led the way with a .310 hitting percentage and a team-best 13 kills. Freshman Sadie Anderson notched 11 kills as the only other Gamecock in double figures. JSU tallied 42 total kills, 27 of which came off assists from Rachel Perucki.
 
Out of intermission, the Gamecocks were able to get back into their game plan and held the Cougars to an .026 set on their way to a third-set win. A short 3-0 run to separate from a 12-12 tie, was enough cushion for JSU to hold on through the rest of the frame.
 
In the fourth, JSU opened a 10-5 lead, before the Cougars clawed their way back to a 17-all score. SIUE reached match-point with a 24-19 advantage, but the Gamecocks reeled off four-straight points before Ashley Witt's winning kill sealed the match.
 
The nation's leading team in blocks was shutout through two sets, but managed to find a rhythm late and finish with 10 total. Sophomore Mackenzie Rombach and freshman Kaylee Frear each had five, while Anderson added three. On the back row, Hannah Kirk and J'Nae Fraser paced the defense with 12 digs apiece.
 
JSU will not have a midweek contest for the first time in more than a month as the Gamecocks turn focus to Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky for next weekend's OVC road matches.