JACKSONVILLE – Avenging an earlier loss in the season, the Jacksonville State volleyball team made quick work of the visiting Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Friday with a 3-0 sweep inside Kennamer Hall.
The Gamecocks (13-12, 5-6 OVC) had to fend off EKU (3-20, 2-9 OVC) near the end of the opening set, before rolling to victories in games two and three. The Colonels hit just .083 as a team, while the OVC's leading hitting in Cassie Knutson was held to just nine kills on a .222 clip. JSU hit better than .300 in each set, finishing the night with a combined .387 hitting mark.
The staple of JSU's team all season has been the balance across the offense and defense, and Friday night proved no different as five Gamecocks finished between six and nine kills.
Sadie Anderson's nine was a team-high, followed by
Kaylie Milton (8),
Kaylee Frear (7), and
Lena Kindermann and
Mackenzie Rombach with six apiece. Sophomore
Lexie Libs dished 36 of JSU's 38 assists.
Anderson's big night saw her also top the stat sheet in team digs as the Phoenix, Ariz., native recorded seven as part of a consistent back row presence. Libs was just behind with six digs, while libero
Dani Steele upped five attacks that made it to the back row. At the net, Frear turned away three EKU swings as JSU out-blocked the Colonels, 5-2.
JSU kept EKU on its heels with eight total service aces, led by Anderson with three, and Libs and
Ashley Clingan with two each.
After JSU led 20-17 in the first, EKU fought back to even the frame at 21-21, before JSU reeled off four-straight points for the set win. The Gamecocks carried the late momentum into the second with a 13-3 start on its way to a 25-7 rout for a 2-0 match advantage.
In the third and final frame, JSU cruised once again building a 19-8 lead, before EKU pieced together a 5-0 run to get back in the game. A kill from
Shayla Schmidt put JSU back on track, while back-to-back kills from Frear ended the night with a 25-16 result.
JSU remains at home tomorrow for a 2 p.m. "Pink-Out" contest against Morehead State. Admission is free.
