Saturday, August 29
JACKSONVILLE
2 PM
Jax State
1-1,0-0CUSA
3
vs
1
Southern
0-3,0-0SWAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern U. | 20 | 25 | 16 | 17 | 1 |
| Jacksonville St. | 25 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Emily Kish / Jax State
Gamecocks Split in Final Two Matches of Gamecock Classic
8/29/2026 9:14:00 PM | Volleyball
JACKSONVILLE – Jax State volleyball split day two of the 2026 Gamecock Classic with a 3-1 win over Southern and 3-0 loss to Southern Miss. The Gamecocks went 1-2 in the event, Southern Miss went 3-0, Jacksonville University went 2-1, and Southern went 0-3.
The Gamecocks started the final day of the Gamecock Classic with a victory over the Jaguars of Southern. Southern went up 12-11 early in the opening set but following a 5-0 set capped by a Claire Evans service ace, Jax State went up 16-12 and never lost the lead again to go up one set to none.
Southern took the second set 25-16, following their 25-20 loss in the first to tie it at one set win apiece. Jax State then cruised to a 25-16 victory in the third and a 25-17 triumph in the fourth to take the win 3-1 over the Jaguars.
Evans led the way for Jax State with 16 kills for Jax State. Azavia Thomas added 12 kills and Sophia Schweikert had 11, respectively. Sofia Varela led the Gamecocks with 25 assists, followed by Addisone Stone who tallied 17 assists. Gemma Morris had a team-best 12 digs, Taya Nordmann led the way with four aces, and Thomas and Nordmann tied for a team-high two blocks.
In the second match of the day for Jax State, the Gamecocks fell 25-22 in the first, 25-19 in the second, and 25-14 in the third to Southern Miss. Trailing 21-17, Jax State scored three-straight after a Lauren Buchanan kill, a kill by Thomas, and a kill by Schweikert to make it 21-20 Southern Miss. The Gamecocks scored two-straight to tie it 22-all before Southern miss scored three-in-a-row to win the set.
The Gamecocks went on a 4-0 scoring run early in second set to go up 6-5. After some back-and-forth scoring, The Golden Eagles scored three-straight to go up 11-8 and never lost the lead again.
Schweikert paced the Gamecocks with 10 kills against the Golden Eagles. Stone had a team-high 15 assists with Varela adding 14. Varela and Evans tied for a team-high six digs and Nordmann had a team-best two blocks.
The Gamecocks had Thomas and Evans named to the 2026 Gamecock Classic All-Tournament Team.
The Gamecocks move on to the Blue Ridge Classic next weekend in Asheville, N.C., where they 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.
2026 Gamecock Classic All-Tournament Team
Southern
Paulina Agudelo-Marin
Najah Harris
Southern Miss
Sadie McAda
Allie Hazelwood
Jacksonville
Abbie Tuyo
Jaylyn Tuiasosopo
Jax State
Azavia Thomas
Claire Evans
The Gamecocks started the final day of the Gamecock Classic with a victory over the Jaguars of Southern. Southern went up 12-11 early in the opening set but following a 5-0 set capped by a Claire Evans service ace, Jax State went up 16-12 and never lost the lead again to go up one set to none.
Southern took the second set 25-16, following their 25-20 loss in the first to tie it at one set win apiece. Jax State then cruised to a 25-16 victory in the third and a 25-17 triumph in the fourth to take the win 3-1 over the Jaguars.
Evans led the way for Jax State with 16 kills for Jax State. Azavia Thomas added 12 kills and Sophia Schweikert had 11, respectively. Sofia Varela led the Gamecocks with 25 assists, followed by Addisone Stone who tallied 17 assists. Gemma Morris had a team-best 12 digs, Taya Nordmann led the way with four aces, and Thomas and Nordmann tied for a team-high two blocks.
In the second match of the day for Jax State, the Gamecocks fell 25-22 in the first, 25-19 in the second, and 25-14 in the third to Southern Miss. Trailing 21-17, Jax State scored three-straight after a Lauren Buchanan kill, a kill by Thomas, and a kill by Schweikert to make it 21-20 Southern Miss. The Gamecocks scored two-straight to tie it 22-all before Southern miss scored three-in-a-row to win the set.
The Gamecocks went on a 4-0 scoring run early in second set to go up 6-5. After some back-and-forth scoring, The Golden Eagles scored three-straight to go up 11-8 and never lost the lead again.
Schweikert paced the Gamecocks with 10 kills against the Golden Eagles. Stone had a team-high 15 assists with Varela adding 14. Varela and Evans tied for a team-high six digs and Nordmann had a team-best two blocks.
The Gamecocks had Thomas and Evans named to the 2026 Gamecock Classic All-Tournament Team.
The Gamecocks move on to the Blue Ridge Classic next weekend in Asheville, N.C., where they 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.
2026 Gamecock Classic All-Tournament Team
Southern
Paulina Agudelo-Marin
Najah Harris
Southern Miss
Sadie McAda
Allie Hazelwood
Jacksonville
Abbie Tuyo
Jaylyn Tuiasosopo
Jax State
Azavia Thomas
Claire Evans
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
SU
JSU
Kills
38
51
Errors
20
18
Attempts
113
109
Hitting %
.159
.303
Points
50.0
63.0
Assists
35
50
Aces
8
8
Blocks
4
4
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
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