FINAL STATS

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Caitlin Vorbeck knocked down 15 kills and picked up nine digs for the Jacksonville State volleyball team on Friday night, but the Gamecocks dropped a 3-1 (26-24, 25-11, 16-25, 25-18) match at Tennessee Tech.

The Gamecocks (11-9, 6-3 Ohio Valley Conference) mustered just an .065 attack percentage in dropping their second match in a row and their first to the Golden Eagles (6-14, 4-5 OVC) since 2008. In their final match of a stretch that saw JSU play seven of its first nine OVC matches on the road, TTU hit .209 as a team and blocked 16 Jax State attacks to earn the win.

Vorbeck, a native of Raytown, Mo., used a .323 attack percentage to get her team-best 15 kills. She committed just five errors in 31 swings and moved past Christina Cary into sixth on the school's career kills list. She now has 1,225 kills in her four-year career, 87 behind A.J. Sanders in fifth.

Senior Brooke Schumacher notched her third double-double of the year and her second in as many matches in the loss. The Lake In The Hills, Ill., native dished 35 of the team's 40 assists on offense, while recording 10 digs on the defensive end of the net.

Junior Lauren Harkins' 20 digs led all Gamecocks on the back row. The Louisville, Ky., native joined Schumacher as the only JSU players with 10 or more digs and moved her career total to 1,517. She becomes just the third player in school history to reach 1,500 career digs and the first to do so before her senior season.

Sophomore Alyx Schulte has 12 kills to join Vorbeck in double figures in that category, while fellow sophomore Jen Meyer added five kills, six digs and three blocks for JSU.

The Golden Eagles got 17 kills on a .364 attack percentage from Leah Meffert, while Allison May led their back row with 25 digs. Kelsey Gray finished off a double-double with 11 kills and 10 blocks, while Marie Peddicord added 10 kills. Melanie Culp set up the TTU offense with 42 of its 44 assists.

The Gamecocks will now return home, where they will play seven of their final nine home matches. The stretch begins on Friday against Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. match with first-place Morehead State on Saturday. JSU will be hosting a “Dig Pink” event to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. Fans can donate at the matches or on the JSU athletics website and are encouraged to wear pink to both matches next week. Admission is free.