RICHMOND, KY -
RICHMOND, Ky. The Jacksonville State volleyball team's 17-match winning streak was wended on Friday night, when Eastern Kentucky handed the Gamecocks a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-20) defeat at McBrayer Arena.
The Gamecocks (23-6, 16-1 Ohio Valley Conference) hit just .084 as a team and managed just 32 kills in their first OVC loss of the season. The Colonels (8-18, 7-9 OVC) amassed eight team blocks and hit .216 en route to their third win in their last four matches. It was the first loss since Sept. 12 for the Gamecocks, who wrapped up the 2009 OVC Regular Season title last week, their fourth OVC trophy in the past five seasons.
Senior Brittney Whitten provided much of the Gamecocks' little production with a team-high eight kills to go along with 10 digs. Junior Kara Slater assisted the offense with seven kills, while freshman Alyx Schulte and junior Caitlin Vorbeck each pitched in six.
Sophomore Lauren Harkins, who broke the school's single-season digs record last week, led the Gamecock defense with 17 digs. Junior Brooke Schumacher dished out 20 assists in the loss.
EKU libero Abby O'Connor led all players with 24 digs, while Kelsey Rose picked up 10. Hannah Groudle and Lindsey Loescher led the Colonels' offense with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
The Gamecocks will conclude the regular season on Saturday with a 4 p.m. CT match at Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. They will then return home, where they will host the 2009 OVC Volleyball Championship next week. The three-day event will begin Thursday, while JSU will play its first match on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5 per day and is free to all OVC students.
The Gamecocks (23-6, 16-1 Ohio Valley Conference) hit just .084 as a team and managed just 32 kills in their first OVC loss of the season. The Colonels (8-18, 7-9 OVC) amassed eight team blocks and hit .216 en route to their third win in their last four matches. It was the first loss since Sept. 12 for the Gamecocks, who wrapped up the 2009 OVC Regular Season title last week, their fourth OVC trophy in the past five seasons.
Senior Brittney Whitten provided much of the Gamecocks' little production with a team-high eight kills to go along with 10 digs. Junior Kara Slater assisted the offense with seven kills, while freshman Alyx Schulte and junior Caitlin Vorbeck each pitched in six.
Sophomore Lauren Harkins, who broke the school's single-season digs record last week, led the Gamecock defense with 17 digs. Junior Brooke Schumacher dished out 20 assists in the loss.
EKU libero Abby O'Connor led all players with 24 digs, while Kelsey Rose picked up 10. Hannah Groudle and Lindsey Loescher led the Colonels' offense with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
The Gamecocks will conclude the regular season on Saturday with a 4 p.m. CT match at Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. They will then return home, where they will host the 2009 OVC Volleyball Championship next week. The three-day event will begin Thursday, while JSU will play its first match on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5 per day and is free to all OVC students.
