CHARLESTON, Ill – The Jacksonville State volleyball team couldn't fend off a surging Eastern Illinois squad on Saturday night, falling 3-2 to the host Panthers.
 
The loss drops the Gamecocks (18-11) to 4-6 in Ohio Valley Conference action. EIU (12-10, 6-4 OVC) continue their hot streak having won six of their last seven matches.
 
Sophomore Kaylee Frear went for a career-high 23 kills on the offensive side, while five Gamecocks finished in double figures in digs on the defensive side led by senior Hannah Kirk with 35.

Senior Allyson Zuhle added 19 kills, followed by Mackenzie Rombach with 10 for the second-straight night. Rombach joined Frear with a team-high seven blocks. JSU hit .221 for the match behind 31 assists from senior Jennifer Hart and another 27 by sophomore Rachel Perucki. Both setters finished with double-doubles as Perucki collected 15 digs, and Hart with 13. Senior Charis Ludtke also had 13 digs and nine kills and freshman Kaylie Milton finished with 12 digs.
 
From the beginning, both squads battled back-and-forth in an opening set that was never separated by more than three points. EIU jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but JSU answered with a 6-1 run to grab the largest lead for either side at 7-4. Late in the frame, EIU led 21-20, before JSU made another big surge to secure the first, 25-23.
 
The second played out by a similar script as EIU again pulled out to the early 5-2 advantage before JSU mounted a 12-4 run to take a 17-13 lead. The set was again tied at 20, until JSU put together another strong finish with a 25-21 decision.  
 
In a match that featured 39 total ties, 20 of those came in the third and fourth sets which were both tied a 22,23 and 24, before the Panthers escaped with back-to-back 27-25 wins to force a decisive fifth set.
 
In the fifth, JSU led 6-4, but a 4-0 run for EIU gave the home side an 8-6 advantage at the changeover. JSU remained close at 12-10, but unfortunately could never quite catch Eastern as the Panthers prevailed, 15-11, to take the match.
 
JSU returns home to Pete Mathews Coliseum, where they're 8-1 on the season, Wednesday to host Tennessee Tech. The Gamecocks will conclude the weekend early with a Friday night match against UT Martin. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. and admission is free.