GAMECOCKS FALL TO NO. 9 PURDUE

WEST LAFAYETTE – The Gamecocks fell 3-0 to the No. 9 ranked Purdue Boilermakers in the Stacey Clark Classic Friday morning, 3-0. JSU held a lead in every set but was unable to record a win, falling 25-16, 25-19, and 25-20.

Senior Addie Halverson led the Gamecocks with 10 kills, hitting .348. Senior Katie Montgomery added seven kills in the match and three of JSU's five total service aces.

The Gamecocks jumped ahead of the Boilermakers early in the first set, 5-3, following a kill from Montgomery. The Boilermakers flipped the script, taking a 12-9 lead following an attack error. A service ace by freshman Brooklyn Schiffli capped a 3-1 lead by JSU, cutting the lead to one, 12-13. Purdue outscored the Gamecocks 12-4 the rest of the way, winning 25-16.
 
In the second set the Gamecocks once again jumped out with an early lead. An attack error by Purdue put JSU ahead 3-1. A kill and service ace from Montgomery gave the Gamecocks an 8-5 lead. After Purdue cut the lead to two, 11-9, JSU responded with a 3-0 run extending the lead to five, 14-9, following a Zoe Gonzales block, Halverson kill and Erin Carmichael service ace. The Gamecocks continued to hold a lead over the Boilermakers midway through, leading 18-14 following a Montgomery kill. Purdue responded with an 11-1 run in the final stretches of the second set, winning 25-19.
 
Purdue built a 7-2 lead over the Gamecocks to begin the third set. A 5-0 run by JSU that included back-to-back kills from Halverson, tied the set 7-7. Both sides traded points until the Gamecocks took a 12-9 lead after back-to-back service aces from Montgomery. Halverson put JSU ahead 15-14 before a 3-0 run gave Purdue a 17-15 advantage. Halverson ended the run, cutting the lead to one, 17-16, before Purdue closed out the set on an 8-3 run, winning 25-19 and sweeping the match 3-0.

GAMECOCKS FALL TO NO. 22 TENNESSEE
 
WEST LAFAYETTE – In the afternoon match on day one of the Stacey Clark classic the Gamecocks fell 3-0 to the No.22 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. JSU pushed the Vols in each set, holding a lead several times, but fell just short, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17.
 
Junior Kylee Quigley led the offensive effort for the Gamecocks, setting a career-high with 12 kills to go along with a .258 hit percentage.
 
Both sides traded points to start but a Quigley kill lifted JSU over Tennessee, 7-6. Quigley's fifth kill of the set put the Gamecocks ahead 11-10. A 4-0 Tennessee run for the Gamecocks to call a timeout down, 14-11. Following the timeout JSU used a 7-3 run tying the set 17-17, following a Katie Montgomery kill. JSU fell behind 24-21 late in the first set. A pair of kills from Lena Kindermann kills cut the deficit to just one 23-24, but the Volunteers took the set 25-23.
 
Similarly, to the first, both sides traded points to begin the second set. Addie Halverson pushed the Gamecocks ahead 7-6 with a kill. JSU added three unanswered off the Halverson kill, taking a 10-6 lead and forcing a Tennessee timeout. Kindermann gave the Gamecocks a 14-9 lead midway through following a kill. Quigley recorded her 10^th kill of the match, giving JSU an 18-16 advantage. A 7-2 Volunteer run erased the Gamecock lead, giving Tennessee a 23-20 lead. The Volunteers would hold on for the 25-21 win in set two.
 
Much like the first two sets, both sides traded leads to start, before the Volunteers jumped ahead 8-5. A service ace from Lexie Libs cut the deficit to two, 8-10. Tennessee jumped ahead 16-10, holding the lead the rest of the way for a 25-17 win in set three and 3-0 match win.

Along with Quigley's 12 kills, Kindermann added double-figure kills with 10.
 
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH TODD GARVEY

"I was proud of how we battled today versus both Purdue and Tennessee! Purdue is 5th in the country in RPI and Tennessee's a top 15 team as well, so to play those opponents in back-to-back matches today I thought our team competed very hard!"
 
"We were in every set we played against two of the top power five schools in the country and battled the entire day. Playing in tough environments like this in against great opponents will only make us better."