JACKSONVILLE – Fifth-year outside hitter Lena Kindermann moved into second all-time in career kills with a phenomenal outing in Jacksonville State's five-set triumph (25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-9) over Eastern Kentucky on Friday night.
 
Kindermann's 15 kills against the visiting Colonels propelled her over Allyson Zuhlke, who had 1576 kills from 2014-17, and into second place in JSU's history books. The Neuenkirchen, Germany, native has recorded 1585 kills as a Gamecock and has a team-high 249 kills in 20 matches this season.
 
"I am really proud of Lena and the career that she has had here," Jacksonville State head coach Todd Garvey said after the win. "A player like her comes along once in a lifetime. She has improved every year she's been here and grown so much off the court. I love the confident player and person she has become and how she carries herself."
 
Her milestone was far from the only one for Jacksonville State on Friday. Senior middle blocker Zoe Gonzales eclipsed 300 career kills with her seven kill, five block night. Those respective accomplishments added to a great evening at The Pete after a thrilling win for the Red-and-Black.
 
The important ASUN match was tight throughout. JSU claimed the first set very narrowly, as the two sides fought out to a 23-23 tie down the stretch. However, a massive kill from Sophie Riemersma and a timely attack error from the Colonels handed the Gamecocks a 25-23 set victory.
 
The following set was less friendly to the home squad. Jacksonville State trailed for much of the frame but made things interesting late, cutting the deficit to one. The Gamecocks' .121 hitting percentage in the set proved to be the difference, however, as they dropped a 25-20 second.
 
Jax State rebounded in a big way in the third. Several impressive scoring runs helped Garvey's squad to a 19-12 lead, but the Colonels continued to claw back. Although Eastern Kentucky came close in the final moments, a pair of huge kills from Kindermann solidified the 25-22 set win.
 
EKU jumped out to a 10-2 advantage in the fourth and never looked back. Jacksonville State did not seem to gain solid footing until it was too late, and a 7-2 scoring run was all for naught in a 25-19 defeat.
 
Despite a tough night overall from the JSU offense, the Gamecocks were able to flip the switch in the fifth. The Colonels hit -0.061 as a team against Jax State's defense in the final set. An 8-1 run early in the interval set the tone, and a clutch shot from Gonzales fell to put a bow on the five-set marathon.
 
"I thought tonight was a great win against a very tough EKU team," Garvey said. "We played good in stretches and things didn't go our way in stretches, but I was really proud of how we kept battling. When our backs were against the wall in the fifth set, we played the best we did all night- especially defensively, holding them to (a negative hitting percentage) in that fifth set."
 
Kindermann led the offensive attack with 15 kills, but also got it done defensively with six blocks. Fifth-year middle blocker Katie Montgomery hit .320 and added 12 kills, seven blocks, and two aces, while Riemersma finished with ten kills and two blocks. Redshirt sophomore Courtney Glotzbach had eight kills, 16 digs, two blocks, and two assists and Gonzales ended up with seven kills and five blocks.
 
Graduate setter Claire Ochs had 42 assists, 17 digs, and three blocks in the win and senior Erin Carmichael finished with 20 digs, seven assists, and four aces. Senior Kylee Quigley and sophomore Brooklyn Schiffli added six digs each against EKU.
 
Jacksonville State is back in action on Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum to host another foe from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Gamecocks will play host to Bellarmine at 4 p.m. Saturday in Jacksonville. The Knights are coached by former Jax State head coach Rick Nold, who is in his first year leading that program in Louisville, Ky.
 
"Bellarmine has a really good team that is well-coached and will come in and compete hard every point," Garvey said. "We know it's going to be a big test for us and we're looking forward to the challenge."
 
Admission to Saturday's match is free and fans unable to attend can tune into all the action on ESPN+. Score updates will be posted on JSU Volleyball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecockVB). Live stats and post-game coverage will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
 
To stay up to date with the Gamecocks, be sure to follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Volleyball), Twitter, and Instagram (@JSUGamecockVB) accounts.