BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Jax State volleyball was downed 3-0 by Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon in the Conference USA opening weekend.
 
Jax State (6-8, 02) played the Hilltoppers (11-4, 2-0) tough, particularly in the second set. The Gamecocks made a late push in the second sparked by a Kayla Williams kill that put Jax State within three as WKU was one away from set point. Keyauna Linwood put a ball away to make it 24-22 before WKU clinched the set 25-22.
 
Williams led the Gamecocks with 12 kills. Amaya Tolentino followed Williams with six kills, while Linwood had four kills. Charlee Solomon filled up the stat sheet with a team-high 19 assists, 12 digs, two service aces, a solo block, and a block assist. Luci Wilkinson remained consistent on the back row with another double-digit dig performance, this time with 14. Sanni Rantanen and Izzy Whittaker both had three block assists.
 
As a team, Jax State tallied 28 kills, 44 digs, 25 assists, seven blocks, and three service aces.
 
In the first set, Jax State got out to a hot start to gain a 3-1 advantage after a Tolentino kill. WKU then went on a 3-0 run to gain a 12-9 lead and force a timeout. Out of the break, WKU continued the scoring run to make it 15-9 before a service error by the Hilltoppers got the Gamecocks back on the board. Solomon got a kill to make it 19-13 later and spark a 3-0 run by the Gamecocks. Madison Konopka's service made it 19-15. WKU then responded with a 6-1 run to take the opening set 25-16.
 
In the third set, the Gamecocks opened with a 3-0 lead thanks to a pair of kills by Williams and an ace by Solomon. The two squads shared blows before WKU went on a 6-0 run to gain a 10-5 advantage early on. A bad serve by WKU got the Gamecocks within three at the midway point of the third. Reese Tiesing subbed in to serve late in the set and helped the Gamecocks to a 4-0 run making it 20-16. However, WKU went on to win the third 25-18.
 
Jax State plays Middle Tennessee on Oct. 3^rd and 4^th for the Gamecocks' home opener. The weekend series will also be volleyball's alumni weekend with a social hosted by head coach Derek Schroeder following the Oct. 4^th match.
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Volleyball), Twitter (JaxStateVB), and Instagram (JaxStateVB) accounts.