JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State and Troy tied with two set victories apiece in a four-set friendly exhibition Saturday at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
The Gamecocks claimed the first set 25-21 thanks in large part to an aggressive offensive approach. Jax State ended the set with 13 kills on 45 total attacks. Set two went the way of the Trojans in a tightly contested 25-22 finish. The Gamecocks regained momentum late in the third set on their way to a 25-21 win. In the fourth and final set, Troy led from start to end with a result of 25-12.
 
"I thought it went really well," head coach Derek Schroeder said. "In the last 14 months, we've played Troy in two different exhibitions, this being the third different exhibition that we've played them in in 14 months. The first two times, they handled us pretty easily, so I'm pretty happy we won two of the first three."
 
Odessa College transfer led the Gamecocks offense with 13 kills and 13 points throughout the four sets. Sophomore Hana Aiana added nine kills on a .500 hit percentage and 11 points. Senior Ellie Garrett picked up where she left off last season by leading the squad with 23 assists. Binghamton transfer Madison Konopka had three service aces to lead the Gamecocks. Junior Luci Wilkinson and senior Carley Lynch had two aces respectively. Wilkinson paved the way in digs with 32 on the day, while senior Brooklyn Schiffli followed with 22.
 
As a team, Jax State had 39 kills, 33 assists, nine service aces, 75 digs, and 10 blocks.
 
"We kept our starters in for the most part in the first three sets," Schroeder said. "We handled them twice, so I'm really happy with that. I'm really happy we closed out a couple sets. For the first time, we got to see some of those offensive weapons that we brought in this year. They're going to get to see on video what they need to do to get better, so it's going to be exciting."
 
The Red-and-White will now set their sites on the season opening tournament being held at the Pete on Aug. 30-31 after the 2-2 draw against the Trojans.  Jax State will officially open the 2024 campaign against Arkansas – Pine Bluff on Aug. 30 at noon with a showdown against New Orleans the same day at 7 p.m. Jax State will close out the tournament against West Georgia on Aug. 31 at 2 p.m.
 
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