Friday, September 23
JACKSONVILLE
6 P.M.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Central Arkansas
Volleyball Starts ASUN Play This Weekend
9/22/2022 10:02:00 AM | Volleyball
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State volleyball starts conference play at the Pete Mathews Coliseum this Friday and Saturday, as the Gamecocks (12-1) will play host to Central Arkansas (7-5) on Friday night before welcoming North Alabama (10-2) to Calhoun County on Saturday afternoon.
JSU will play a much-improved Sugar Bear squad at 6 p.m. Friday at the Pete. The North Alabama Lions will make their way to Jacksonville the following day, and that ASUN match will start at 4 p.m. Admission to both events at the Pete Mathews Coliseum is free.
"We've got a tough weekend cut out for us, but we're looking forward to seeing what we can do," Jacksonville State head coach Todd Garvey said. "We're looking forward to getting going in conference. I know our girls are excited and we hope we get another good crowd this weekend at the Pete. Getting off to a 2-0 start is the goal."
The Gamecocks will look to rebound this weekend after suffering their first loss of the season on Saturday night. To do so, they will have to knock off a pair of talented squads at home.
In last weekend's JSU Invitational, Jacksonville State swept Jackson State on Friday morning and then downed Southern Miss in four sets to secure their 12th consecutive victory to start the season. Garvey's squad fell behind 2-0 to Auburn the next night before taking the third and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth set. JSU raced out to an 8-7 lead in the fifth but fell 15-11 to drop their first contest of the season.
Lena Kindermann led the Gamecocks in the JSU Invitational with 41 kills. The fifth-year outside hitter also hit .341 on the weekend with five blocks and five digs. Graduate transfer Sophie Riemersma had a phenomenal outing, finishing with 31 kills and a .409 hit percentage. Redshirt sophomore Courtney Glotzbach dazzled again, adding 22 kills on a .419 clip, 17 digs, six blocks, and one ace in the JSU Invitational. Graduate transfer setter Claire Ochs might have had her most productive weekend of the season as well, ending up with 122 assists (11.09 per set), 20 digs, and ten kills at the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Several Gamecocks have had remarkable starts to their 2022 campaign. Fifth-year middle blocker Katie Montgomery leads the ASUN in hit percentage (.414) through non-conference play and SEMO transfer Claire Ochs is tops in the league in assists per set (10.76) and second in assists (484). Senior Kylee Quigley has the most aces (27) and aces per set (0.64) in the conference, Kindermann is second in kills (172), fourth in kills per set (3.66), sixth in points per set (3.94), and tenth in hit percentage (.340). Senior Zoe Gonzales is sixth in the ASUN in blocks per set (1.00) and classmate Erin Carmichael is tenth in digs per set (3.57).
Those accolades are also among the top in the nation's standings. Montgomery is 16th in Division I in hit percentage and Ochs' assists and assists per set are 11th and 12th overall. Quigley's marks in aces and aces per set are currently good enough for 11th and 15th nationally.
As a team, JSU's .293 hit percentage ranks 13th in the country. The Gamecocks are also top-50 in Division I in team kills (15th, 644), team assists (21st, 588), kills per set (35th, 13.70), assists per set (45th, 12.51), and opponent hit percentage (46th, .165).
After steamrolling through the non-conference slate, Jacksonville State is prepped and ready to go for the new season: ASUN play. The Gamecocks, who were picked second in the conference's preseason poll, have lofty expectations for league competition and will try to start it out on the right foot with two tough matchups this weekend.
Central Arkansas has earned seven victories through 12 matches, tying last season's win total through 25 showdowns. The Sugar Bears, coached by fifth-year head coach and former All-American punter John Newberry, have a pair of standouts to keep an eye on. Setter Caylan Koons is seventh in the ASUN in assists per set (8.41) and Leigh Maher is sixth in digs per set (4.18). Additionally, freshman outside hitter Laci Bohannon is their leading attacker, averaging 3.08 kills per set.
"Central Arkansas is very balanced offensively," Garvey said. "They run a 6-2, with two setters on the back row, and they love to spread the ball around. They have a really good right-side hitter that likes to run slides off of one foot, so we'll be getting a lot of that throughout the match. They're a lot better than they were last year. Last year we beat them at their place in four, and it was a close match, but I feel like they've gone out and gotten better this offseason."
North Alabama has already crafted their most successful season since transitioning to Division I in 2018. The Lions have eclipsed last season's win total of nine matches through 12 contests. First-year head coach Tristan Johnson has UNA 10-2 on the season and second in the ASUN in win percentage through their non-conference schedule, behind only JSU. Sisters Taylor and Katy Ford are North Alabama's main attackers and are both in the top eight in the league in kills per set. The Lions also have a strong defense, as Mattrice Harris is fourth in blocks per set (1.05) and Ella Ratzloff is third in digs per set (4.38).
"North Alabama is leading the conference in defense right now, opponent hit percentage and digs, so we know they're going to be a tough challenge," Garvey said. "They have two really good outside hitters that I know well- from where I'm from, Louisville, Kentucky- and two good middles and a right-side also."
Those unable to attend either of this weekend's matches can watch both on ESPN+. Additionally, score updates will be posted on JSU Volleyball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecockVB). Live stats and post-game coverage will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
JSU will play a much-improved Sugar Bear squad at 6 p.m. Friday at the Pete. The North Alabama Lions will make their way to Jacksonville the following day, and that ASUN match will start at 4 p.m. Admission to both events at the Pete Mathews Coliseum is free.
"We've got a tough weekend cut out for us, but we're looking forward to seeing what we can do," Jacksonville State head coach Todd Garvey said. "We're looking forward to getting going in conference. I know our girls are excited and we hope we get another good crowd this weekend at the Pete. Getting off to a 2-0 start is the goal."
The Gamecocks will look to rebound this weekend after suffering their first loss of the season on Saturday night. To do so, they will have to knock off a pair of talented squads at home.
In last weekend's JSU Invitational, Jacksonville State swept Jackson State on Friday morning and then downed Southern Miss in four sets to secure their 12th consecutive victory to start the season. Garvey's squad fell behind 2-0 to Auburn the next night before taking the third and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth set. JSU raced out to an 8-7 lead in the fifth but fell 15-11 to drop their first contest of the season.
Lena Kindermann led the Gamecocks in the JSU Invitational with 41 kills. The fifth-year outside hitter also hit .341 on the weekend with five blocks and five digs. Graduate transfer Sophie Riemersma had a phenomenal outing, finishing with 31 kills and a .409 hit percentage. Redshirt sophomore Courtney Glotzbach dazzled again, adding 22 kills on a .419 clip, 17 digs, six blocks, and one ace in the JSU Invitational. Graduate transfer setter Claire Ochs might have had her most productive weekend of the season as well, ending up with 122 assists (11.09 per set), 20 digs, and ten kills at the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Several Gamecocks have had remarkable starts to their 2022 campaign. Fifth-year middle blocker Katie Montgomery leads the ASUN in hit percentage (.414) through non-conference play and SEMO transfer Claire Ochs is tops in the league in assists per set (10.76) and second in assists (484). Senior Kylee Quigley has the most aces (27) and aces per set (0.64) in the conference, Kindermann is second in kills (172), fourth in kills per set (3.66), sixth in points per set (3.94), and tenth in hit percentage (.340). Senior Zoe Gonzales is sixth in the ASUN in blocks per set (1.00) and classmate Erin Carmichael is tenth in digs per set (3.57).
Those accolades are also among the top in the nation's standings. Montgomery is 16th in Division I in hit percentage and Ochs' assists and assists per set are 11th and 12th overall. Quigley's marks in aces and aces per set are currently good enough for 11th and 15th nationally.
As a team, JSU's .293 hit percentage ranks 13th in the country. The Gamecocks are also top-50 in Division I in team kills (15th, 644), team assists (21st, 588), kills per set (35th, 13.70), assists per set (45th, 12.51), and opponent hit percentage (46th, .165).
After steamrolling through the non-conference slate, Jacksonville State is prepped and ready to go for the new season: ASUN play. The Gamecocks, who were picked second in the conference's preseason poll, have lofty expectations for league competition and will try to start it out on the right foot with two tough matchups this weekend.
Central Arkansas has earned seven victories through 12 matches, tying last season's win total through 25 showdowns. The Sugar Bears, coached by fifth-year head coach and former All-American punter John Newberry, have a pair of standouts to keep an eye on. Setter Caylan Koons is seventh in the ASUN in assists per set (8.41) and Leigh Maher is sixth in digs per set (4.18). Additionally, freshman outside hitter Laci Bohannon is their leading attacker, averaging 3.08 kills per set.
"Central Arkansas is very balanced offensively," Garvey said. "They run a 6-2, with two setters on the back row, and they love to spread the ball around. They have a really good right-side hitter that likes to run slides off of one foot, so we'll be getting a lot of that throughout the match. They're a lot better than they were last year. Last year we beat them at their place in four, and it was a close match, but I feel like they've gone out and gotten better this offseason."
North Alabama has already crafted their most successful season since transitioning to Division I in 2018. The Lions have eclipsed last season's win total of nine matches through 12 contests. First-year head coach Tristan Johnson has UNA 10-2 on the season and second in the ASUN in win percentage through their non-conference schedule, behind only JSU. Sisters Taylor and Katy Ford are North Alabama's main attackers and are both in the top eight in the league in kills per set. The Lions also have a strong defense, as Mattrice Harris is fourth in blocks per set (1.05) and Ella Ratzloff is third in digs per set (4.38).
"North Alabama is leading the conference in defense right now, opponent hit percentage and digs, so we know they're going to be a tough challenge," Garvey said. "They have two really good outside hitters that I know well- from where I'm from, Louisville, Kentucky- and two good middles and a right-side also."
Those unable to attend either of this weekend's matches can watch both on ESPN+. Additionally, score updates will be posted on JSU Volleyball's Twitter account (@JSUGamecockVB). Live stats and post-game coverage will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
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