FT. MYERS, Fla. – The Jacksonville State University Volleyball team is moving on to the ASUN Conference Tournament Championship match following a thrilling 3-2win over Kennesaw State behind a season-high 49 assists from Lexie Libs.
 
The Gamecocks advance to the ASUN Championship match for the first time in program history, defeating Kennesaw State, and improving to 25-6 on the season. With the win JSU advances to the conference tournament finals for the second consecutive season, which includes an appearance in the OVC tournament Championship match last season.

Seniors Lena Kinderman, Katie Montgomery and Addie Halverson each recorded 14 kills in the match to lead the Gamecocks.

In the first set, neither side held a lead larger than two points until a 4-0 run put Kennesaw State ahead 21-19. The Gamecocks cut the lead to one point, 23-24, before the Owls took the set, 25-23.

A service ace from Erin Carmichael extended the lead to five in second set, 13-8. The Gamecocks used a 5-0 run to take a 19-12 lead and held the Owls to just two points the rest of the way, in route to a dominant 25-14 win in the set.

The third set featured a back-and-forth affair once again as a kill from Zoe Gonzales tied the setup, 25-25. After Kennesaw State briefly took a 26-25 lead, a 3-0 run ended the set-in favor of the Gamecocks, 28-26. A kill from Kylee Quigley gave JSU a 27-26 advantage before an Owl's attack error ended the set.

In the fourth set, Kennesaw State gained control 17-13 before back-to-back kills from Halverson and Quigley cut the lead to two, 18-20. Kennesaw State closed the set on a 5-2 run, winning 25-20.

In the fifth and final set, Kennesaw State gained the early momentum, leading 7-4. Down, 9-6, the Gamecocks responded with a 5-0 run to lead 11-9. The run included kills from Montgomery, Libs and Halverson. Kennesaw State tied the set, 13-13 before an attack error put the Gamecocks ahead, 14-13. A final kill from Kindermann sealed the set, 15-13, and the match 3-2, pushing the Gamecocks to the ASUN Championship match for the first time in program history.

In addition to her 49 assists, Libs also recorded a double-double with 11 digs. Carmichael led the defensive effort with a season-high 22 digs and Quigley added 12.

The Gamecocks hit .257 while the Owls posted a .268 clip. Errors plagued Kennesaw State as the side totaled 17 service errors and 22 attack errors while JSU totaled just nine and 18, respectively.
 
The Gamecocks will face the winner between North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN Conference Championship, Saturday Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at JSUGamecocksports.com.