JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State volleyball team dropped Tennessee Tech for the second night in a row on Monday, this time with a 3-1 victory to remain undefeated.
 
The Gamecocks (8-0) reach the midway point of the 2021 spring Ohio Valley Conference season without a loss, and remain tied with Morehead State at the top of the league standings. The Golden Eagles fall to 4-4 on the season, after JSU snapped the four-match win streak they carried into the weekend.
 
Senior setter Lexie Libs dished a season-high 51 assists as junior Lena Kindermann and senior Kaylie Milton picked apart the Tech defense from opposite pins. Kindermann led JSU with 20 kills on the afternoon, while Milton put down a season-best 15 on a .400 hitting clip. Sadie Brown nearly reached double figures as well with nine kills as she and Katie Montgomery both registered three blocks.
 
Defensively, Tech hit just .165 as sophomore libero Erin Carmichael led the back row with 21 digs. Her highest total since upping 24 attacks in the second match of the season against Southeast Missouri. Milton and Libs each barely missed double-doubles with nine digs, while Kylee Quigley (6), Anna Nelson (4) and Tahya Pozorski (2) also secured JSU's side of the floor.
 
After sweeping TTU on Sunday, JSU got off to another quick start in the first with 9-3 and 19-12 leads. The Golden Eagles closed the margin to 21-17, but Montgomery and Libs combined on a block that shifted momentum back to JSU for the final four points capped by a solo stop by Courtney Glotzbach.
 
JSU pulled away from a 4-4 tie in the second to lead 12-6 following a Montgomery kill. The lead grow to nine at 23-14 before JSU took a two-set lead with a 25-18 decision. In the third, the Golden Eagles bounced back with easily their best set of the weekend. A Skylar Boom block pushed TTU ahead 3-2 and the visitors wouldn't relinquish the lead from there. JSU trailed 19-14 and closed the gap back to 21-19 and 23-22, both prompting TTU timeouts, but the Gamecocks couldn't finish the rally either time.
 
The third-set loss snapped a string of 16-straight set wins for the Gamecocks going back to the first match against SIUE on Feb. 14.
 
Refocused in the fourth, JSU opened a 6-2 lead, but Tech fought back slowly to finally get within one at 18-17. Montgomery and Milton propelled Jax State back to a slight cushion and on set point at 24-21, Libs took it upon herself for the final put-away of the night for the win.
 
While it's a unique scenario playing in the spring and without having any non-conference preseason tournaments, the Gamecocks' current run still marks the longest start to a season without a loss since moving to Division I in 1995. In league play it's the best OVC start since the 2009 NCAA tournament team. Excluding last year's OVC Tournament, JSU has won its last 12 regular season OVC matches.
 
JSU will look to carry its momentum on the road next weekend with a  pair of matches at Belmont on Sunday and Monday.