JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – Jacksonville State's (18-4, 6-3) search for a reverse sweep came up just short in the Gamecocks' five-set loss (24-26, 18-25, 25-21, 25-19, 10-15) to North Florida (7-13, 5-4) on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla. Put simply, Jax State could not get the breaks when they needed to in the fifth set and found the same frustrations they had in the first two intervals. 
 
JSU led for much of the first set but faltered when it mattered most. After hitting over .300 and constantly playing strong defense throughout the opening frame, the Gamecocks accumulated a 23-20 lead. However, a 6-1 scoring run by the Ospreys helped UNF to a fortunate first-set victory.
 
The frustration from losing that first set settled in for the Gamecocks early in the second set. JSU never seemed to gain traction and was forced into eight attack errors in a 25-17 set defeat. 
 
Jacksonville State finally bounced back with a strong third set. A 4-0 scoring spurt early in the interval gave Garvey's squad a 6-2 advantage and helped set the tone. The Gamecocks never trailed and took the third by a final score of 25-21. 
 
Jax State continued to take care of business in the fourth. Once again, an early scoring run proved to be the difference in an otherwise tit-for-tat set. This time it was a 7-0 run that put JSU out in front. They never let UNF battle back and forced a decisive fifth set with a six-point win in the fourth. 
 
UNF jumped on top early with an ace and the Gamecocks could not climb out of a five-point hole. Once again, the team with the early advantage picked up a victory and managed a triumph in a momentum-filled match.
 
Graduate transfer Claire Ochs tied a season-high with 51 assists and fifth-year outside hitter Lena Kindermann had a season-high 22 kills on a .364 clip in that five-set loss. The latter added three blocks as well. Redshirt sophomore Courtney Glotzbach finished with 13 kills, 15 digs, two assists, and three blocks, while graduate transfer Sophie Riemersma, graduate transfer Katie Montgomery, and senior Zoe Gonzales added eight kills each.
 
Gonzales ended up with a team-high four blocks and senior Erin Carmichael led the team with 16 digs. Senior Kylee Quigley had 12 digs, sophomore Brooklyn Schiffli ended up with 11 digs, and Ochs finished with 10 digs.  
 
The Gamecocks resume play in the Sunshine State on Saturday in Swisher Gymnasium. Jacksonville State will take on the Jacksonville Dolphins in an ASUN match starting at 4 p.m. CT. It will be broadcast on YouTube. Score updates will be posted on JSU Volleyball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecockVB), and live stats and post-game coverage will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com. 
 
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