FINAL STATS
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Sophomore
Alyx Schulte notched a double-double on Friday night to lead the Jacksonville State volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-19, 25-16, 17-25, 25-23) win at Eastern Illinois.
The Gamecocks (11-7, 6-1 Ohio Valley Conference) got 12 kills and 11 digs from Schulte, a native of Cold Spring, Ky., leading a group of three players each with double figures in kills and digs. The win extended JSU's winning streak to six games, while extending the all-time series lead over the Panthers (8-10, 1-5 OVC) to 11-2. It was the Gamecocks' 11th-straight win in the series.
“I thought we responded in a very tough environment,” JSU head coach Rick Nold said. “Eastern Illinois is a talented team and they made a great run, but I thought Alyx and our defense stepped up and made some big plays at the end.”
Schulte's fourth double-double of the season was highlighted by a .333 attack percentage on the offensive side of the net. Sophomore
Jen Meyer led the JSU offense with 13 kills, while senior
Caitlin Vorbeck added 12.
Vorbeck was a dig shy of a double-double of her own to go along with three blocks. Sophomore
Stephanie Koontz also blocked three EIU swings, while knocking down eight kills. Senior
Brooke Schumacher dished out 31 of the team's 52 assists, while freshman
Abbey Heredia added 15.
On the back row for JSU, junior
Lauren Harkins picked up a match-high 18 digs. She was joined in double figures by freshman
Kelly Cole, who recorded 13, and Schulte.
The Panthers were led by Kelsey Orr's match-high 18 kills and Alex Zwettler's 17 digs.
The Gamecocks will wrap up the weekend on Saturday with a 1 p.m. match at Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau.