CLEMSON, S.C. - A 44-assist, 14-dig double-double from senior Claire Ochs, combined with a 21-kill outing by Lena Kindermann, helped Jacksonville State volleyball to a thrilling win over The Citadel on Friday morning.
Jacksonville State (4-0) stayed undefeated by downing the Bulldogs in five sets in the first matchup of the Clemson Invitational. In surviving that scare, it sets up an undefeated showdown against the host Tigers later this evening.
"I don't think we played our best match this morning, but I give The Citadel credit for serving aggressive and for playing great defense all game," head coach Todd Garvey said after the win. "I wasn't happy with how we let them steal the momentum, especially in that fourth set when nothing seemed to go our way."
JSU took a very competitive first set to start a weekend full of action. In a back-and-forth start, it was an attack error charged against The Citadel that secured a 25-22 win in the first set for Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks jumped in front in the second set 2-1 and never looked back en route to a 25-17 victory.
The Citadel found their rhythm late in the third game. After blowing a 7-1 advantage and seeing JSU take their first lead, the Bulldogs outscored the Gamecocks 5-1 down the stretch and won the set 25-23. They controlled the fourth set as well, taking a 25-9 decision.
"We have to find a way to stop that momentum sooner, but we will get there. Having adversity is good for us," Garvey said.
A hungry Bulldog squad seemed poised to sure-up their first win of 2022 and raced out to a 14-11 lead. However, a veteran Gamecock team survived three straight match points and ended with a 5-0 scoring run, topped off by a match-winning kill from Kindermann, to win the deciding fifth-set 16-14.
"Although nothing went our way in the fourth set, I'm happy about how we responded in the fifth set to pull it out down the stretch," Garvey said.
Ochs netted her third double-double of the year win in the triumph while hitting .444 with four kills and five blocks. Kindermann's 21 kills were her most since a win at Morehead State on March 28, 2021. In addition, the fifth-year athlete from Germany hit .308 at Jervey Gym. Graduate transfer Sophie Riemersma added 11 kills and senior Zoe Gonzales led the way with nine blocks. Senior Erin Carmichael and sophomore Brooklyn Schiffli were phenomenal in the backcourt as well, finishing with 17 and 11 digs respectively.
Jacksonville State volleyball will continue action in the Palmetto State tonight as they play Clemson for the first time in program history at 6 p.m. CST. That match against the 3-0 Tigers will be broadcast on ACCNX, a partner of ESPN that is accessible with an ESPN+ subscription.
