LYNCHBURG, VA. – Jacksonville State is set for their first conference road trip this weekend. The Gamecocks will travel to Virginia for matches against the Liberty Flames on Friday and Saturday.
Jax State (7-8, 0-2) will take on the preseason fourth seeded Flames (8-6, 2-0) for the fifth and sixth time in program history. Currently, the record between the two programs is 2-2. The two matches this week mark the first home conference contests for Liberty this season.
The Gamecocks are coming off an 0-2 weekend to begin Conference USA play in which they took on powerhouse Western Kentucky. Last weekend, the Flames traveled to Louisiana Tech where they won 3-1 on Friday, Sep. 27 and 3-0 on Saturday, Sep. 28.
Jax State's
Brooklyn Schiffli starred against Western Kentucky on Sep. 27 and 28. She accounted for 31 total digs over the two matches, including a 23-dig performance last Friday.
Kayla Williams was once again the Gamecocks' top offensive option as she tallied 17 kills over two matches. Willams also had double-digit digs with 10.
Ellie Garrett continued her consistent output at setter with 54 total assists against the Hilltoppers. She added 16 digs, the second most for Jax State over the weekend.
Liberty had two players named to the 2024 CUSA All-Conference team in outside hitter Kamryn Bacus and middle blocker Madison Blane. Last weekend, Blane had 14 kills and 10 blocks. Bacus totaled 12 kills and is currently second on Liberty's squad in kills this season with 113. Kate Gammer has been leading the Flames in kills with 160 total, including 29 against LA Tech.
A familiar face to the Gamecocks is on the sidelines of Liberty. Former Jax State head coach Todd Garvey in his first season as assistant coach of the Flames. Garvey led Jax State from 2018 through 2022 where he posted a 103-39 record. His teams won back-to-back OVC regular season championships in 2019 and 2020. Garvey was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2019. Garvey's final season at the helm at Jax State was in 2022. That season the Gamecocks went 24-6 with wins over power conference foes Clemson and Indiana.
The matches on Oct. 4 and 5 in Lynchburg, Va. will be available to stream via ESPN+. Live stats will also be available at JaxStateSports.com.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateVB), Instagram (@JaxStateVB), and Facebook (Jacksonville State Volleyball) accounts.
