JACKSONVILLE – After a successful first week of practice at Pete Mathews Coliseum, Jacksonville State volleyball will get its first chance to go up against somebody else on Tuesday afternoon in a road exhibition at Troy. That showdown in Pike County will officially usher in the Derek Schroeder era in Jacksonville, opening a much-anticipated 2023 campaign.
 
This offseason has been one filled with change for the Gamecock volleyball program. Schroeder took over as head coach in May, hiring assistant coaches Tim Ebbecke and Jenna Sullivan shortly thereafter. Jax State's staff added nine total newcomers to a squad consisting of six returners from last year's 24-win team. Now, as Jacksonville State readies for its first season as a member of a highly competitive Conference USA, the Red-and-White will have one last tune-up against a longtime rival before regular season play gets underway.
 
Junior defensive specialist Brooklyn Schiffli is the only returner to the team that has logged a start in her Gamecock career. Others who are back from the 2022 squad include senior setter Maddie Stayer and sophomores Morgan McClure, Parker Phenicie, Kathryn Smith, and Luci Wilkinson. Defensive specialists Gracie Danziger and Carley Lynch will also join the fold on the indoor side after earning playing time with Jax State's beach volleyball program in the Spring.
 
Schroeder and company inked five transfers and two freshman over the summer. Division I transfers Clarke Adams, Ellie Garrett, Kaylee Moseley, and Stavroula Papazoglou, junior college star Katelyn Crofts, and true freshmen Hana Aiana and Selin Sakiroglu will combine with the returners to complete the 2023 roster. Each are expected to make their unofficial Jax State debut on Tuesday in Troy.
 
The last time the Gamecocks and Trojans met was in 2019 in Calhoun County. A veteran Troy team held the Gamecocks to a .179 hitting percentage on the first day of the season. Despite that loss in the Jax State Invitational, Todd Garvey's girls went on to win 20 matches, 13 of those coming in Ohio Valley Conference play, and claimed the league's regular season title. Jacksonville State trails in the rivalry series, 11-10, since moving to Division I in 1995.
 
Tuesday's contest at Trojan Arena in Troy will begin at 2 p.m. There will be no live stats or live-stream for the exhibition, but final stats will be provided shortly after its conclusion.
 
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