MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Jacksonville State volleyball team dropped its third-straight five set contest Friday night, falling in the conference opener to the host Eagles.
Despite an offensive attack that featured four players in double-digit kills, and four that hit above .333, the Gamecocks (7-7, 0-1 OVC) were stifled in the final frames as Morehead State (10-4, 1-0 OVC) rallied late to take the final two sets and secure the league-opening victory on its home floor.
Sophomore
Kaylie Milton led JSU with 14 kills, followed by
Lena Kindermann (13),
Mackenzie Rombach (12) and
Kaylee Frear with 11. Setter
Lexie Libs tossed up 47 assists during the evening as Jax State collectively out-hit MSU .287 to .262. Milton finished with a double-double courtesy of 12 digs. Sophomore
Jade Humphrey paced the defense with 25 digs.
The Eagles led most of the first, until JSU took its furst lead of the set at 24-23 in the process of a 4-0 run to finish the game with a 25-23 win. MSU answered back taking the second set, 25-19, after a 10-4 Eagle run propelled the home side following a 15-all deadlock.
Jax State immediately bounced back opening a 17-6 advantage in the third en route to a 25-14 victory. It was by far the best set for the Gamecocks who had 13 kills on 26 swings without any errors for a combined .500 attack percentage.
JSU looked like it may seal the match by stealing the fourth set similar to the first, evening the frame at 23-23 and then grabbing a brief 24-23 to face match point. The Eagles turned away the Gamecocks' attempt to finish the match in four, fighting off multiple match points before eventually taking the frame, 27-25.
MSU opened the fifth with a 3-0 lead that proved too much for JSU to overcome. The Gamecocks had a swing to even the set at 13-all, but MSU once again came through with the clutch point and held on for a 15-12 decision.
JSU will continue its tour of the Bluegrass State on Saturday when it meets Eastern Kentucky at 12 p.m. (CT) in Richmond, Kentucky. The match has been moved from EKU's campus to nearby Madison Central High School due to facility issues. Live stats will be available at JSUGamecockSports.com.
