JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State volleyball completed a sweep of the Gamecock Classic on Saturday night by taking down Samford in four sets (17-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21). That victory moved JSU to 9-0 on the year and extends their best start to non-conference play in the program's Division I history. 
 
A poor offensive start helped Samford to a first-set victory. The Gamecocks hit just .028 in the opening set and committed ten errors, assisting the Bulldogs heavily in their 25-17 win. 
 
Fortunately for the home fans in attendance, JSU's offense produced a night-and-day difference the next set, hitting .464 and outscoring Samford 8-1 to begin the set. 
 
After taking a 25-21 second, the Gamecocks downed the Bulldogs 25-18 in the third to take their first lead of the matchup. In the final set, Jacksonville State's defense shined again, forcing a perennial Southern Conference power into eight errors in a 25-21 win.
 
"I thought our team did a great job of bouncing back after having a bad start in that first set," head coach Todd Garvey said following the win. "We got in more of a flow offensively as the game went on. We made a lot of adjustments defensively after that first set and I'm proud of the team for being able to adjust on the fly. I thought Erin (Carmichael) and Brooklyn (Schiffli) were tremendous in the back row for us tonight."
 
Those adjustments were evident down the stretch of the entertaining non-conference match. After allowing hit percentages of .333 and .387 in the first two sets, the Gamecocks surrendered marks of just .122 and .119 in the final two intervals to secure the big victory. 
 
"To not have Zoe (Gonzales) this weekend was a huge loss for our team," Garvey said. "But I am proud of them for playing the hand we were dealt and finding a way to get three wins against good teams. Courtney (Glotzbach) did a great job of filling in the middle for us this entire weekend and played great."
 
Fifth year performer Lena Kindermann continued her dominance in the invitational, finishing tied for a game-high 15 kills. Fifth year outside hitter Katie Montgomery had 12 kills and two digs while hitting .440 against the Bulldogs. Other players had great outings offensively, including senior Kylee Quigley (nine kills, nine digs, two assists, one ace), graduate transfer Sophie Riemersma (eight kills, five digs), and redshirt sophomore Courtney Glotzbach (seven kills, three blocks, three digs).
 
Senior Erin Carmichael led the way with 20 digs while sophomore Brooklyn Schiffli added 17 digs. Graduate transfer Claire Ochs had 45 assists in the victory to go along with her 14 digs, four kills, and two aces.
 
After sweeping the weekend showcase against Nicholls, South Dakota State, and the aforementioned Bulldogs, Jacksonville State (9-0) turns their attention toward Alabama State. Before hosting Auburn, Jackson State, and Southern Miss in next weekend's JSU Invitational, the Gamecocks will make the trip to Montgomery on Tuesday evening for a 6 p.m. bout with the SWAC Hornets. Score updates will be posted on the JSU volleyball twitter account (@JSUGamecockVB), and live stats and a post-game coverage will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.