Volleyball Hosts 2026 Gamecock Classic to Begin the Year

Friday, August 28

JACKSONVILLE

7 PM

Jax State

Jacksonville

Photo by: Emily Kish / Jax State

8/27/2026 1:34:00 PM | Volleyball

JSU Notes Southern Miss Notes Southern Notes Jacksonville Notes

JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State volleyball opens up the 2026 regular season with a renewal of the Gamecock Classic. Jax State welcomes Jacksonville, Southern, and Southern Miss to Pete Mathews Coliseum on Friday and Saturday for the round robin event.

The Gamecocks open up the weekend with a showdown against former ASUN rival Jacksonville University on Friday at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Jax State faces Southern at 2 p.m. before wrapping up the tournament against Southern Miss on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

"I am so excited to watch our squad get to compete this weekend," first-year head coach Tim Ebbecke said. "It has been several years since we were able to open regular season play at home and I am so excited that our athletes, community, and university will get to experience the new look 2026 Gamecocks here and in person."

The Gamecocks are coming off a 14-15 record in 2025 and an 8-8 mark in Conference USA play. The overall and conference in 2025 was the best record in Jax State's three-year CUSA tenure. The Gamecocks fell in the opening round of the 2025 CUSA Volleyball Championship Tournament to Kennesaw State after receiving the six-seed in the event. Jax State actually finished in a tie for fifth place with Liberty, marking the Red-and-White's highest ever finish in CUSA.

Jax State's 2026 squad welcomes 11 newcomers to a team with seven returners from 2025. Sophia Schweikert, Izzy Whittaker, Gemma Morris, Selin Sakiroglu, Reese Tiesing, Chloe Mittelstadt, and D'Yanna Spicer are back for another year playing at Jax State.

Schweikert is back for her second season in a Jax State uniform. Schweikert played in 72 sets and 18 matches after suffering an injury early in the season. Schweikert has the most production returning with 200 kills last season on 2.78 kills per set. She set a single game high of 18 kills against Portland State on Aug. 29, 2025, then matched it against Kansas City on Sep. 12, 2025.

Spicer returns for her third straight season with the Gamecocks. In 2025, Spicer played in 67 and 22 matches where she accumulated 58 kills and 48 total blocks. Tiesing is back as a second-year player for Jax State after a 2025 season in which she played in 37 sets across 16 matches. Tiesing tallied 13 kills, 26 digs, five total blocks, and a service ace last season.

The transfers to the program include Addison Stone, Delaney Moon, Lauren Buchanan, Azavia Thomas, Krista Kostoff, Taya Nordmann, and Sofia Varela, while the freshmen on the team include Claire Evans, Riley Huff, Anna Ray, and Mia Duong.

Jax State's first opponent of the weekend, Jacksonville, is coming off a 22-8 record in 2025, Southern went 16-17 last season, and Southern Miss went 17-12 in 2025. Jax State has a 3-0 record all-time against Southern, the Gamecocks hold a 2-0 record all-time against Southern Miss, and finally, Jax State is 2-1 all-time against Jacksonville.

"For this tournament, I just want to compete," Ebbecke said. "I have preached all preseason to our athletes our biggest strength as a program is the depth that we have and that our success on and off the court will not be determined by one person, rather the whole roster. With that being said, I am excited to be able to play different lineups and compete with some high-quality opponents to see where we stack up."

Following the Gamecock Classic, Jax State moves on to the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic in Asheville, N.C., next week. The Gamecocks play Seton Hall on Sep. 4, Bellarmine and Western Carolina on Sep. 5, and UNC Asheville on Sep. 6.

To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Volleyball), Twitter (JaxStateVB), and Instagram (JaxStateVB) accounts.