JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State recorded its 12th sweep of the season with a straight-sets victory over Belmont Friday night to move the Gamecocks one win away from an Ohio Valley Conference championship.
 
Knowing what was on the line, JSU (18-9, 12-3 OVC) didn't allow a down Belmont (2-28, 1-15 OVC) squad play spoiler in the final weekend of the regular season. The Gamecocks now head into Saturday with an identical 12-3 league record as Morehead State, who JSU beat twice during the season to hold any tiebreaker advantage.
 
A win for Jax State on Saturday over Tennessee State will give the Gamecocks their first OVC title since 2009, and will guarantee the 2019 OVC Volleyball Tournament will take place at Pete Mathews Coliseum the following week.
 
Back to Friday, junior Kaylie Milton posted a team-best effort with 12 kills on 28 swings for a .250 clip. Junior Lexie Libs dished 35 assists in the quick win, evenly distributing the offense among her hitters. Senior Sadie Anderson and sophomore Lena Kindermann had nine kills each, followed by senior Shayla Schmidt with eight and senior Kaylee Frear with seven. Libs finished with a double-double along with 10 digs. Anderson led the way on the backrow with 11 ups, just ahead of freshman Erin Carmichael's nine. At the net, Kindermann and Schmidt each had a trio of blocks.
 
After a 4-0 lead to start the match, BU fought back to even the first set at 11-11. The Bruins played a tough match all night, but could never take the next step in moving ahead of the Gamecocks. Still tied at 16-16, Anderson's kill sparked a 5-0 run for JSU that opened the door for a 25-18 decision. In the second, Belmont found themselves in a similar position tied midway through the frame at 14-14. A kill by Milton and block for Anderson again pushed momentum back to JSU, but the Bruins trimmed the deficit back to one at 22-21, only to have late error give JSU a 2-0 match advantage.
 
JSU trailed in the third, 13-11, before reeling off four-straight to force a BU timeout. Out of the break, JSU turned up the pressure with kills from Frear and Kindermann. Belmont tried to climb back in it late, but JSU ended their chances with a 25-21 win.
 
JSU hosts Tennessee State at Pete Mathews Coliseum tomorrow at 2 p.m. for Senior Day and the regular season finale. Admission is free. Fans are invited to come early for a special pregame ceremony to honor JSU's prior to first serve. The match will also stream on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at JSUGamecockSports.com