JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville State Gamecocks improved to 8-1 on the season, winning their fifth consecutive match in a comeback 3-1 win over Southern Miss.  After falling behind 1-0 with a 25-12 loss in the first set, the Gamecocks won 25-20, 25-23 and 29-27, in consecutive sets.

Senior Lena Kindermann paced the Gamecocks with a season-high 19 kills in the four-set thriller in Pete Mathews Coliseum.

JSU fell behind early in the contes 1-0 after falling 25-12 in the first set.

The Gamecocks responded in the second set with a 6-2 opening run. The Golden Eagles cut the lead to two before a service ace from Lexi Libs extended the lead to four, 11-7. An ace from Katie Montgomery put JSU ahead 18-14 midway through the second. After Southern Miss cut the lead to one, 20-21, JSU rattled off four straight points for the set win, 25-20, following a kill from Addie Halverson.

Jax State fell behind in the third set to start, 4-1, but responded with five straight to take a 6-4 lead. Kindermann added two kills during the 5-0 run. The Golden Eagles ended the 5-0 run by the Gamecocks, but an ensuing 7-0 run, capped with a Kaylie Milton kill gave JSU a 13-5 advantage. After Southern Miss cut the deficit to three, 17-13, back-to-back attack errors gave JSU a 19-13 lead. Montgomery recorded a kill giving the Gamecocks set point, 24-20. Three straight points from the Golden Eagles cut the lead to two before an attack error ended the set 25-23, giving JSU a 2-1 lead in the match.

JSU dominated from the beginning in the fourth set, leading 13-6 early on. The Gamecocks extended the lead to seven, 17-10, following a Kindermann kill. An 8-1 run from the Golden Eagles tied the set, 18-18. Southern Miss took a 23-22 lead late in the set before back-to-back Kindermann kills gave the Gamecocks match point, 24-23. Southern Miss rallied, tying the contest up 25-25. Tied 27-27, a service error from Southern Miss gave JSU a 28-27 lead. Junior Kylee Quigley secured the match win, 29-27, with a kill.

Kindermann was the only Gamecock with double-digit kills, leading the squad. Quigley and Sadie Brown each added seven kills, while Montgomery chipped in six. Senior setter Lexie Libs added 41 assists, nine digs, three kills and three block assists in the match. Junior Erin Carmichael led JSU with 11 digs. Montgomery led the squad with five block assists.

"Lexie is the heart of this team and is a great leader for this team," said Head Coach Todd Garvey. "The players feed off her energy. Her energy has been awesome, and her effort has been awesome ever since she ahs been here.

For the second straight contest, the Gamecocks were outhit, yet still found a way to win. JSU held an 8-6 advantage in blocks and aces on the night.

"I don't think we played our best tonight or against South Alabama," said Garvey. "What I think is awesome is that we didn't quit and kept grinding. We found a way to win, which is awesome. I thought we served the ball really good, and I thought we played really good defense when we needed to."

The Gamecocks will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana next weekend for the Stacey Clark Invitational for matches against Purdue, Tennessee, and Purdue Fort-Wayne.

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