JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team shut down on of the top offenses in the Ohio Valley Conference Saturday night, sweeping Southern Illinois-Edwardsville for its first win over the Cougars in four years.
 
The Gamecocks improved to 11-10 overall following the win, evening its OVC record at 4-4, while SIUE fell to 4-16 and 3-5 in league play. JSU's straight-sets victory was the first sweep for either team in the series that began when SIUE joined the OVC in 2011. JSU's only victory in the once-a-year meeting prior to Saturday came in 2014.  
 
JSU stymied an offensive unit that entered the weekend first in the conference in assists per set, second in kills, and third in hitting percentage with a .236 clip. The Gamecocks held SIUE to just 25 kills across the three sets and an -.024 attack percentage. It marks the second time this season a JSU opponent hit in the negatives, after Mississippi Valley State posted a -.073 clip on September 7.
 
While no Cougar recorded more than seven kills, redshirt-freshman Addie Halverson led JSU with 13 kills on  a .333 hitting night. Senior Mackenzie Rombach finished with seven kills, and matched a team-high with three blocks. Sophomore setter Lexie Libs managed just 30 assists as Jax State quickly put away the visitors from Edwardsville, Ill., but she matched Rombach with three blocks and added six digs away from the net. Sophomore Dani Steele registered nine of JSU's 30 digs, while Halverson and Ashley Clingan each upped five attacks.
 
A trio of Halverson kills fueled a 6-1 run for JSU in the first to take an 11-9 lead, which quickly turned into a 16012 advantage, forcing SIUE to use a timeout. The Gamecocks ran away with the set late winning the final four points capped by Steele's service ace to seal the game at 25-18.
 
JSU finished strong again in the second, ending the frame on an 8-1 run to pull away from a 17-15 score midway through the game. The Cougars opened a 4-0 lead to begin the third, before Jax State stormed back on a 13-4 stretch to take away SIUE's chance at a rally. JSU completed the sweep of SIUE, the first sweep for either team in the series, with a 25-17 win, making it three-straight sets the Cougars failed to reach 20.
 
JSU returns to the road next weekend to face Murray State and Austin Peay.