JACKSONVILLE – The Gamecock volleyball squad cruised to another sweep on Friday morning at the Pete Mathews Coliseum as they defeated Jackson State 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-21) in the opening match of the JSU Invitational.
 
"I thought our offense carried us today," Jacksonville State head coach Todd Garvey said after the sweep of Jackson State. "Hitting .448 against a good defensive team was one of the biggest reasons we won. Our serving and defense were a little bit off, but we'll look to get it back on track tonight."
 
Jacksonville State wasted little time getting their offense rolling in that match against the Lady Tigers. The hosts hit .448 in the opening set and held the visiting JSU to just a .182 hit percentage to claim a 25-15 win. 
 
The Gamecocks were even more dominant in the second set. Jacksonville State hit .762 as a team in the frame and held Jackson State to just eight kills. The Lady Tigers led 4-3 early, but a 13-2 scoring run helped Garvey's squad to a decisive victory in the second.
 
Although Jackson State was competitive in the final set, they could not knock off JSU in crunch time. The Gamecocks played several reserves- including junior Maddie Stayer and freshmen Ava Heyne and Luci Wilkinson- and pulled away from the Lady Tigers down the stretch. That 25-21 third set secured Jacksonville State's eighth sweep of 2022 and improved their record to 11-0 on the season.
 
Fifth-year middle blocker Katie Montgomery had an all-time performance. The Idaho Falls, Idaho, native started 11-for-11 and finished with 12 kills, two aces, and a .733 clip. Veteran outside hitter Lena Kindermann had ten kills and one block with a .588 hit percentage, and senior Kylee Quigley added seven kills, six digs, and three service aces. Graduate transfer Sophie Riemersma had five kills and one block while hitting .500 in the victory as well. Senior libero Erin Carmichael led the Gamecocks with 12 digs and Claire Ochs had a match-high 22 assists. Stayer, who played most of the final set, ended up with 12 assists. 
 
As a team, Jacksonville State hit .448 against Jackson State. They held the Lady Tigers to a collective hit percentage of just .149, marking one of their most dominant showings of the season.
 
Gamecock volleyball returns to play later this evening. After Southern Miss and Auburn duke it out at 1:30 p.m. at the Pete Mathews Coliseum, JSU takes on USM at 7 p.m. That match is set to start at 7 p.m. and it will be broadcast on ESPN+. Score updates will be posted on the JSU Volleyball twitter account (@JSUGamecockVB), and live stats and post-game coverage will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.