JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State Gamecocks moved to the top of the ASUN West Division standings after weeping Lipscomb 3-0 on Friday night in THE PETE.
JSU (16-4) improved to 6-1 in ASUN play following their 11
th sweep of the season. Lipscomb (9-9) dropped to 6-2 in league play, sitting just one spot behind the Gamecocks at second place in the West Division.
After dominating the Bisons through the first two sets, a nine-point comeback in the third set helped secure the sweep.
"I was really proud of how we just came out so focused and competed hard for every point," said Head Coach
Todd Garvey. "The first two sets were the most focused we've been all year. We were dialed into what we needed to do offensively and defensively and executed the game plan perfectly. I think a lot of that comes with maturity and they are a group of players who have won before and know what it takes to win and so I was super proud of their effort and energy tonight. I thought it was awesome, especially that third set when things weren't going our way and we got down 18-11, to have the fight and determination to not give up."
Senior
Lena Kindermann led the Gamecocks with 18 kills on the night while hitting .424.
Erin Carmichael led the defensive effort with 15 kills.
Lexie Libs added 46 assists, averaging 15.3 per set.
"I thought Lena had an awesome game," added Garvey. "She has every shot in the book and she sees the court really well so I think that once they started taking once thing away from her, she knew what she could go to next. She's a hard person to stop. She is one of the better right-side hitters in this conference and is having an amazing year, so I was proud of her."
With the win, Garvey is 70-30 overall at JSU, midway through his fourth season at the helm. He is just one of 30 coaches across NCAA Division I with a .700-win percentage or better with at least 100 matches coached.
The Gamecocks opened the match on a 3-0 run in the first set and led 6-1 following a
Kylee Quigley kill. After the Bison's cut the lead to one, 7-6, JSU used a 7-3 tun to take a 14-9 lead, capped with a block from Kindermann and
Zoe Gonzales. Jax State pushed the lead to sic, 20-14, before a 4-0 Lipscomb run cut the lead to two, 20-18. Kindermann gave the Gamecocks a 23-19 lead with a kill, stealing the momentum from the Bisons.
Addie Halverson gave JSU set point 24-20 following a kill before Gonzales secured the set win, 25-21, with a kill.
In the second set, JSU once again jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start. The opening run included back-back-kills from Quigley. The Gamecocks extended the lead to six, 10-4, following a 4-0 run that was capped with a Halverson kill. JSU remained in control of the set midway through, leading 17-8. Lipscomb cut the lead to six, 20-14, with a kill, but the Gamecocks used a 4-0 run to lead 24-14. Halverson put the Bisons away 25-15 in the second set with a kill.
Lipscomb led to begin the third set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. JSU trailed majority of the third set, down by as many as seven, 18-11. Down seven, the Gamecocks responded with a 10-2 run to take a 21-20 lead following a Bison attack error. Lipscomb Quigley evened the score 21-21 but four consecutive kills from the Gamecocks, including two from Quigley, finished off Lipscomb 25-21 in the third, clinching the 3-0 match sweep.
"I thought defensively we really stepped it up that third set. To comeback from 18-11 you must be clicking on offense and defense, and we did. I have a lot of respect for Lipscomb and their program," said Garvey. "They have a great team and they have dominated this conference the past 10 or 15 years so it was a great win for us to beat a good gutsy team like Lipscomb."
The Gamecocks hit .358 in the match and held Lipscomb to just a .211 mark. JSU held a large advantage in digs 46-29 in the match. Lipscomb did not record any aces in the contest while JSU recorded two.
JSU returns to action in Pete Mathews Coliseum tomorrow against Central Arkansas at 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
