CHICAGO, Ill. – Gamecock volleyball dropped both of Friday's matches in the Windy City Classic. They fell in straight sets to Southeast Missouri State to start the day before suffering a 3-0 setback to the host Cougars.
 
Jacksonville State (1-4) dropped their first match at Chicago State's Jones Convocation Center, falling in straight sets to Ohio Valley Conference favorite Southeast Missouri State (3-1). The Gamecocks battled well in the opening set against the Redhawks, overcoming a late deficit to rally and tie it at 25. Unfortunately, SEMO grabbed back-to-back points to claim a 27-25 victory. Service errors did in the Red-and-White in the second as they lost 25-21, and the rush of momentum for Southeast Missouri State in winning another close set carried over into a dominant third for the visitors from Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
 
Clarke Adams had a match-high 11 kills and Ellie Garrett ended up with 24 assists. Freshman Hana Aiana shined again defensively, adding six blocks against SEMO. Garrett, Morgan McClure, and Maddie Stayer had three blocks each. The Gamecocks were outhit .178 to .080 and had 11 service errors in their opening match in the Land of Lincoln. 
 
Jacksonville State's match with Chicago State (3-1) went similarly in the early stages. A tight first period ensued before a late run by the Cougars gave way to a 25-21 set win. Jax State held a slim 2-0 lead early in the second before a 10-0 spurt gave the home team all the momentum. Although the Gamecocks battled, they could not overcome that sizeable deficit and dropped the second, 25-20. Derek Schroeder's squad competed again in the third but lost 25-21 to drop the match.
 
Adams, who exited in the third with an injury, led Jax State with nine kills on a .261 clip while McClure and Stayer had eight each. Garrett ended up with 29 assists, Brooklyn Schiffli added two aces, and Gracie Danziger posted 13 digs. 
 
The Gamecocks will finish action in the Windy City Classic on Saturday, as they will play UC Irvine (1-3) at 12 p.m. Links to watch follow along with live stats will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. In addition, score updates will be posted on Jax State Volleyball's X account (@JaxStateVB).
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateVB), Instagram (@JaxStateVB), and Facebook (Jacksonville State Volleyball) accounts.