EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After netting three strong performances last weekend on the road, junior setter Ellie Garrett was named to the USI Invitational All-Tournament Team. In matches against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bradley, and Southern Indiana, she finished with 76 assists, 23 digs, 12 kills, six blocks, and four aces.
 
"I think Ellie had a coming-out tournament," head coach Derek Schroeder said. "She'd always been a bit of a role player and a sub at the school that she came from, but here she's becoming the captain of our offense. She's taking ownership of it and making it her offense, so I'm very proud of her and excited for her journey."
 
Garrett opened the tournament at Southern Indiana with a stellar outing on Friday morning against Bradley. Although the Gamecocks (2-8) fell in three sets to a veteran Braves bunch, the Eastern Washington transfer posted five kills on eight swings for a career-best .625 hitting percentage. In addition, she dished out 18 assists and set a new career-high with 11 digs at Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
Jax State met the host of the tournament on Friday night in Evansville, Ind. The home team came away with the win, but Garrett's comfortability guiding the offense helped the Red-and-White keep close in each set. She added 22 assists, six digs, four kills, three blocks, and two aces to round out an impressive first day.
 
The Windsor, Colo., native's efforts were not to be outdone in Saturday's invitational finale. Garrett had a weekend-best 36 assists in Jacksonville State's three-set sweep of Ark.-Pine Bluff as solid passing, setting, and attacking led to a dominant victory. Her final stat-line included six digs, three kills on a .333 clip, three blocks, and two aces.
 
Jacksonville State's new setter now has 231 assists in 26 sets this season, good enough for an average of 8.88 assists per set which ranks fourth in Conference USA. Garrett had just 215 assists in three years as a reserve at EWU. In addition, she has 53 digs, 26 kills, 16 blocks, and six aces in 2023.
 
Garrett was chosen as one of the tournament's top performers at the conclusion of the USI Invitational. Others selected to the All-Tournament Team included Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Camille Johnson, Bradley's Karagan Coggin, Jasmine Green, and Dru Kuck, and Southern Indiana's Paris Downing and Carly Sobieralski.
 
The Gamecocks return to action Tuesday at Pete Mathews Coliseum in their 2023 home opener. Jax State will play host to Chattanooga (8-2) in the team's final non-conference tune-up before Conference USA play begins next Fri., Sept. 22, against Sam Houston. Tuesday's match will begin at 6 p.m. and admission is free.
 
Fans unable to attend can also stream all the action online on ESPN+. Links to watch the match or 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.