COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Jax State Volleyball opens the season at the Air Force Academy's Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic this weekend. The Gamecocks' open the classic against Portland State on Friday, then take on the hosts Air Force Friday evening. Finally, Jax State faces Seattle Saturday before returning to Jacksonville.
 
"Excited to get out on the road with the girls and see some new places," head coach Derek Schroeder said. "We haven't quite found yet what we're looking for, but it's there and we see it in practice often. The pressure of being in someone else's gym may just harden our resolve and help us find it."
 
The Gamecocks return 11 players from the 2024 roster, including Second Team All-CUSA honoree Kayla Williams. Williams led the Gamecocks and CUSA in average kills per set with 4.11 last season. She ranked second in the league with 473 total kills, ranked second in total service aces with 50, and led the league with average points per set with 4.56. She was also named to the 2025 Preseason All-CUSA Team last week.
 
Other key returners to the fold include, defensive specialist Madison Konopka, middle blocker Sanni Rantanen, outside hitter Caty Havekost, defensive specialist Luci Wilkinson, and setter Ellie Fox.
 
Jax State has also added some impressive new talent to the 2025 squad. Charlee Solomon, a freshman setter, joins the team after a final season as a high schooler that saw her win the 2024 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year Award. Solomon is joined by fellow freshmen standouts Sophia Schweikert, Amaya Tolentino, Reese Tiesing, Gemma Morris, and Misheel Bolorsukh.
 
Not only did the Gamecocks add a strong freshman class, but they also added some key pieces out of the transfer portal. Karya Suvarioglu joins from Northern Arizona, Morgan Blazzard transferred from Eastern Washington, and Keyauna Linwood comes to Jacksonville by way of South Dakota.
 
Match 1: Jacksonville State (0-0) vs. Portland State (0-0)
When: Friday, Aug. 29 | 12 PM CT (11 AM MT)
Where: Cadet East Gym | USAF Academy, Colo.
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
TV: MW Network
Scouting Portland State: Big Sky head coaches picked Portland State to finish 6^th in the 10-team league in their annual preseason poll after they went 8-20 overall and 7-9 in Big Sky last year. Portland State is led by middle blocker Naomi White who returns from last season's squad and was named to the preseason All-Big Sky Conference team. White ranked 5^th in the Big Sky in 2024 in hitting percentage (.330) and was 9^th in blocks per set (1.04). The match Friday marks the first ever meeting between the Vikings and the Gamecocks.
 
Match 2: Jacksonville State (0-0) vs. Air Force (0-0)
When: Friday, Aug. 29 | 7 PM CT (11 AM MT)
Where: Cadet East Gym | USAF Academy, Colo.
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
TV: MW Network
Scouting Air Force: Mountain West Conference coaches picked Air Force to finish 12^th in the 12-team league in their preseason poll. The Falcons are coming off a 3-26 season in 2024 and a 2-16 league record. Air Force has a roster of 19 athletes this fall. Four of five players who started at least 20 matches last year are back this season, including starting libero Jordan Suan. Their top returning hitter is Ashley Bible who averaged 2.27 kills per set a year ago. Air Force currently has a 2-0 record against Jax State with the teams' last meeting coming back on Aug. 26, 2016 when the Falcons defeated the Gamecocks 3-2.
 
Match 3: Jacksonville State (0-0) vs. Seattle (0-0)
When: Saturday, Aug. 30 | 11 AM CT (10 AM MT)
Where: Cadet East Gym | USAF Academy, Colo.
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
TV: MW Network
Scouting Seattle: Seattle went 8-19 overall and 6-10 in the Western Athletic Conference in 2024. Seattle has moved to the West Coast Conference (WCC) ahead of this season where they were picked to finish 12^th out of 12 teams in the conference's preseason poll. The Redhawks and second-year head coach Dan Behnke only have one true senior on this season's squad. Middle blocker Yasemin Elmas is Seattle's top returning hitter. Elmas averaged 1.63 kills per set last season. Right-side hitter Marley Hardgrave also returns after leading Seattle with 0.99 blocks per set. The Gamecocks and Redhawks square off for the first time ever this Saturday.
 
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