JSU volleyball: It wasn't the Gamecocks's best match, but they gutted out a win

Sep. 27—JACKSONVILLE — Late in Jacksonville State's marathon volleyball match with Kennesaw State on Sunday, the Gamecocks' Logan Smith tried to reach back awkwardly for a ball and came up briefly grimacing.

The umpire motioned to ask if she was OK. Smith simply smiled in return and flashed a thumbs-up sign.

It was that kind of match for Jacksonville State, which didn't produce its best technical performance by a longshot, but the Gamecocks never seemed to lose focus in a 25-21, 25-27, 18-25, 25-22, 15-10 victory at home Sunday evening.

"Technically, we weren't there, but with our heart and with our effort, that's what won us that match," JSU setter Lexie Libs said.

This one was a test from start to finish, especially with JSU having dropped a tough five-set match the previous night to North Florida, the hottest team in the ASUN Conference. This was JSU's third match in a three-day ASUN Crossover in which six teams gathered at Pete Mathews Coliseum to get in three matches apiece. Including a three-set sweep of Stetson on Friday, JSU finished 2-1.

Sunday's win lasted 2 hours, 11 minutes and included 32 ties, 13 lead changes and more aches and pains from players diving after volleyballs than anyone could count.

"All-around, it wasn't anybody's best match," JSU senior Katie Montgomery said. "All of us struggled in one way or another."

She added, "Proud of our team for pulling it through. Five-set games are never easy."

At one point, it didn't look like it would go that long. JSU won the first set, and had control of the second set at times. Kennesaw State may have benefitted twice from in-out calls that the linesmen appeared to miss in that set. If both calls had gone JSU's way, the Gamecocks could've been up 2-0 with a chance at a sweep.

Instead, the Gamecocks lost the second set, then fell in the third and trailed 10-6 in the fourth. They somehow rallied to take the set and tie the match 2-2. Then in the fifth, they bolted out to a 7-3 lead and fought off a Kennesaw challenge to pull out a win that Libs joked left her "exhausted but excited."

JSU finished with a hitting percentage of .151 on offense, which wouldn't beat many teams, but who cares about that when the end result is a win? Defensively, the Gamecocks limited Kennesaw State to a .168 hitting percentage.

"Pure will, grit and determination won us the match today," JSU coach Todd Garvey said. "I didn't think we executed very good offensively, but neither did Kennesaw. Both of us just grinded it out."

JSU didn't enter the match healthy. As an example, libero Erin Carmichael played all five sets even though her left thigh was heavily wrapped. Kennesaw State appeared to notice and tested her at times.

She still produced 18 digs, four assists and a pair of aces as one of the Gamecocks' most dependable servers.

"I thought it was one of Erin's best matches of the year," Garvey said. "She was really all over the place defensively. They've got a good serving team, and overall, I thought she serve-received well, and she served the ball great for us, too. She had a tremendous game."

What to know

—After the first weekend of ASUN Conference play, JSU (12-4, 2-1) is tied with defending league champion Lipscomb (5-8, 2-1) for first place in the West Division. North Florida (14-1, 3-0) and Florida Gulf Coast (11-4, 3-0) are tied for first in the East.

—Lena Kindermann led JSU with 16 kills and was especially good late. Late in the fourth set, she had three kills to help put it away. In the fifth, she had three more kills.

—Kylee Quigley had 11 kills and 18 digs. Zoe Gonzales had eight kills, while Katie Montgomery added seven kills and three blocks. Kaylie Milton had seven kills.

—Libs had 48 assists and 12 digs. Brooklyn Schiffli had eight digs.

Who said

—Garvey on winning a day after the Saturday loss to North Florida: "I was really proud of the way we bounced back from losing in five sets yesterday. I thought we were a lot more aggressive in that fifth set today than we were yesterday. That was good to see."

—Montgomery on what Carmichael means to the team: "One thing you can see about Erin, no matter whether she's having a good game or a bad game, she always brings positive energy to the court. That positive energy radiates to everyone, and eventually, that positive energy picks her up, too."

—Garvey on the effort the Gamecocks show: "It's one of the things I love about this team. I don't think we're ever going to step on the court and not battle our hardest every single point. I think if you do that, you can win a lot of matches. I love the mindset this team has and I love how fiery they are and how hard they play every single point, whether we're playing good or bad."

Next up

—JSU will play at Eastern Kentucky on Friday at 2 p.m. and at Bellarmine in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday at 2 p.m. Both are ASUN matches.

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.