JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team completed a perfect sweep of its home tournament Saturday evening, finishing 4-0 in the Jefferson's Invitational which took place at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
On Friday, JSU dropped Jackson State in straight sets before rallying to come back and beat New Orleans in five. The Gamecocks continued the hot start on their home court with another pair of victories on Saturday against Mississippi Valley State and UAB.
 
The Gamecocks (7-6) handled MVSU from the beginning with 25-10 and 25-11 set victories to open the match before completing the sweep after the third. JSU hit .420 overall for the match with only seven total errors.
 
The already scheduled tournament finale, Jax State versus the Blazers of UAB, made for a thrilling close of the two-day competition as the only two remaining unbeatens met for the tournament championship.
 
The Blazers (6-5) took the opening set, 25-16, after a 7-0 run broke an 11-11 tie midway through the frame. The Gamecocks made adjustments after UAB hit .414 in the first, and didn't allow their opponents to have an attack percentage above than .150 the rest of the night.
 
In the second, the Gamecocks held an 18-17 lead, before a late surge evened the match at 1-1 after JSU took seven of the final nine points. Out of intermission, JSU looked determined to bring home the championship.
 
UAB twice called for time in the third to slow down JSU streaks once the Gamecocks had a 14-9, and later 22-18 leads. A game-best .323 hitting clip for the Gamecocks was enough to secure a 25-21 set to take a 2-1 match lead. Once in the fourth, Jax State took a 7-6 lead and never looked back en route to 25-13 frame.
 
"I'm really proud of what this team accomplished," said JSU head coach Terry Gamble. "We beat a good New Orleans team, and a good UAB team, and it just proves to this young team how good they can be."
 
"I don't know when the last time JSU won a tournament, but it's been a while. The work these young ladies put in, they deserve this championship. I'm excited about the future of this program."
 
Junior Allyson Zuhlke finished with 14 kills to continue her strong week. The product of Tomball, Texas, is hitting .554 over her last five matches with 69 kills and only seven attack errors. Freshman Sadie Anderson also reached double figures with 10 kills in her double-double night which included 12 digs.
 
Shayla Schmidt dished 13 assists, but also controlled the net with a team-high six total blocks. Sophomore Mackenzie Rombach recorded five blocks, while Zuhlke had four. Zuhlke was named to the All-Tournament team following the match, joining tournament MVP Hannah Kirk led the Gamecocks defensively against UAB with 17 digs.
 
Jax State Jefferson's Invitational All-Tournament Team
Hannah Kirk, Jacksonville State (MVP)
Allyson Zuhlke, Jacksonville State
Kenley Adams, UAB
Victoria Young, UAB
Blessing Dunn, New Orleans
Kalin Barnes, Miss. Valley State