CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Jax State volleyball heads to Chattanooga for three matches this weekend at the Chattanooga Classic.
The Gamecocks open the classic against Cincinnati on Friday at 2 p.m. They then play Ohio Saturday at 11 a.m. and the hosts Chattanooga Saturday at 5 p.m.
Jax State opened the 2025 campaign with three matches in Air Force's Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic. The Gamecocks went 1-2 against Portland State, Air Force, and Seattle. Jax State downed Portland State 3-2 on Aug. 29 before losing later the same day to Air Force by a score of 3-1. Against Seattle on Aug. 30, the Gamecocks were beaten 3-0 to wrap play at Air Force.
"We saw some good things last weekend, and I hope we have seen some growth this week in practice," head coach
Derek Schroeder said. "Three very good volleyball teams will test how we have trained and grown this week."
Over the three matches,
Kayla Williams led the Gamecocks' offensive attack with 48 kills on an average of 4.00 kills per set. Freshman
Sophia Schweikert showed out as well with the second most kills on the weekend at 42. Schweikert averaged 3.50 kills per set. Other offensive contributors included
Sanni Rantanen who tallied 16 kills,
Keyauna Linwood who accumulated 13 kills, and
Reese Tiesing who reached double-digits with 10 kills.
Also offensively, freshman setter
Charlee Solomon impressed with 99 assists on an average of 8.25 assists per set.
Defensively,
Luci Wilkinson paced the Gamecocks over the three-game stretch with 48 total digs on 4.00 digs per set. Linwood and Rantanen tied for the most total blocks with seven, respectively. Solomon had the second most digs with 30 and Williams was third with 24.
Match 1: Jacksonville State (1-2) vs. Cincinnati (1-1)
When: Friday, Sep. 5 | 2 PM CT (3 PM ET)
Where: McKenzie Arena | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Scouting Cincinnati: Cincinnati is 1-1 after a pair of matches in their Tribute to #10 Classic. The Bearcats defeated Wake Forest 3-1 on Aug. 29, then lost 3-1 on Aug. 31 to Michigan. Cincinnati returns 10 players from the 2024 season, while welcoming eight newcomers (five freshmen and three transfers). The Bearcats hold a 1-0 all-time record over Jax State with their lone meeting coming in 2005.
Match 2: Jacksonville State (1-2) vs. Ohio (1-2)
When: Saturday, Sep. 6 | 11 AM CT (12 PM ET)
Where: McKenzie Arena | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Scouting Ohio: Ohio is 1-2 after their performances in the Bobcat Invitational last weekend. The Bobcats defeated Bucknell 3-1 on Aug. 29. On Aug. 30, Ohio fell 3-0 to Iowa State. Ohio concluded the weekend with a 3-0 loss to Eastern Illinois on Aug. 31. Junior middle blocker Olivia Gardner leads the Bobcats as one of their key returners. In 2024, Gardner had 199 kills and 10 blocks. The matchup with Ohio on Saturday will be the first time Jax State has faced the Bobcats.
Match 3: Jacksonville State (1-2) vs. Chattanooga (2-1)
When: Saturday, Sep. 6 | 5 PM CT (6 PM ET)
Where: McKenzie Arena | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Watch: ESPN+
Scouting Chattanooga: Chattanooga had a winning weekend at UCF's Tournament last weekend that saw them win two of three matches. On Aug. 29, the Mocs beat Norfolk State 3-2 before falling to UCF 3-1 later that evening. On Aug. 30, the Mocs swept UC Riverside 3-0 to finish play in Orlando. Sophomore middle blocker Kynli Kirkendoll was named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team while Chattanooga was picked to finish fifth in the league. Kirkendoll was a SoCon All-Freshman selection a year ago after she finished with a team-high 101.0 total blocks and .341 attack percentage. She ended the 2024 season with 210 kills. Chattanooga and Jax State have a lengthy history versus one another with Chattanooga leading the all-time series 9-8. The two teams' most recent meeting came on Sep. 10, 2024, when the Gamecocks won at Chattanooga 3-2.
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