EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Ellie Garrett turned in two strong performances for Jacksonville State volleyball in Friday's matches at Southern Indiana's USI Invitational. The Eastern Washington transfer had a combined 40 assists, 17 digs, and nine kills in straight-set losses to Bradley and Southern Indiana. 
 
"I guess if you want to say there was a bright spot today, then it would be her," head coach Derek Schroeder said. "Ellie's just steady for us. She's hurting like everyone else right now, but she's been playing great. Two coaches came up to me tonight and said, 'You've really got a setter, Dex.' Now it's my job to help the pieces around her."
 
Jacksonville State (1-7) opened their first match at Screaming Eagles Arena strong, passing and attacking well in the first few points before a long scoring run by the Braves (6-2) swung all the momentum in their favor. Though sophomore Luci Wilkinson induced a 3-0 spurt for the Red-and-White due to strong serving late in the set, it was too little, too late as BU claimed a 25-16 set victory. An unrelenting Braves attack never wavered in the second, registering 13 kills on 15 attacks and pulling away early in a 25-11 interval. The Gamecocks had a better showing in the fourth set, posting 14 kills in the frame, before the Braves picked up the sweep via a 25-20 difference.
 
Maddie Stayer, who came alive in the third set with numerous kills down the stretch, had a team-best eight kills. Garrett ended up with match-highs in assists (18) and digs (11) and added five kills on eight swings. Hana Aiana and Kaylee Moseley also scored five kills in the loss while Aiana picked up two solo blocks. 
 
"This morning was tough," Schroeder said. "Bradley was a good team and we just couldn't get anything going. They were a lot bigger and more physical, so it was just tough."
 
Southern Indiana (4-4) and Jax State played to a back-and-forth opening set on Friday night. 14 kills, four blocks, and just two service errors gave the Red-and-White momentum late in the first, having a set point at 24-23, before a 4-1 run by the Screaming Eagles to close it out handed them an early lead. USI went on a roll midway through the second, out-hitting Jacksonville State .233 to .156 in the frame and picking up a 25-20 set win. The Gamecocks tried to climb out of an early deficit in the third and held their own down the stretch thanks to good serving but could not bridge the gap in a 25-22 loss.
 
Moseley and Morgan McClure paced Jax State with seven kills each while Aiana and Stayer added six a piece. Garrett tied for a match-best with 22 assists and Brooklyn Schiffli's 16 were the most in the match. In addition, Garrett had two aces and Carley Lynch netted her first service ace as a Gamecock. 
 
"I thought we came out really well this evening and competed very hard, so I felt good about that," Schroeder said. "We dug ourselves into a hole, though, and there's a shot in the arm of confidence that's missing. We were competitive and put ourselves in a position to be successful, but just couldn't quite get over the hump.
 
"That's my job, though," Schroeder said. "My job is to find a few extra points to put us over the top in those sets. If they keep playing that hard and being that focused on what we're trying to do, then I'll be able to help them find those points in the future."
 
The Gamecocks will conclude action in the USI Invitational tomorrow at noon against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Links to follow along with live stats for that contest 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.