FINAL STATS

MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Jacksonville State volleyball team's season came to an end in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon, when the Gamecocks fell to Tennessee Tech, 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 15-11).

The third-seeded Gamecocks (16-13, 11-7 OVC) jumped on the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles (11-19, 8-10 OVC) and had them facing elimination after three sets, but TTU rallied to force a fifth and deciding set and used an early run to take command of it. JSU hit better than .400 in the two sets it won but hit less than .160 in the other three.

The Gamecocks' three seniors put their best efforts on the floor in their final match in a JSU uniform. Outside hitter Caitlin Vorbeck had a team-high 20 kills and eight digs, while middle blocker Kara Slater used a .379 attack percentage to get 16 kills. Setter Brooke Schumacher notched her sixth double-double of the year with 12 digs and 43 of the team's 59 assists.

“It's always disappointing to end our season, but I thought they were a little more aggressive at the critical points of the match,” JSU head coach Rick Nold said. “I thought our three seniors had a great match and they have a lot to be proud of. They have meant so much to our program the past four years. It's tough to see them go, but we have a great group returning for next year and we will expect to compete for a championship.”

Vorbeck, who was named a first team All-OVC performer on Wednesday for her efforts in her senior season, finished the year with 373 kills. The Raytown,. Mo., native runs her career total to 1,352, which passed Amanda Sandlin on Thursday for fourth on the JSU career kills list. Her 2.99 kills per set average ranks fifth in school history.

Schumacher, a native of Lake In The Hills, Ill., improves her school record in career assists to 4,410, which is 75 more than the previous record. She came one dig shy of the 800 mark for her career, stopping at 799 after Thursday's match.

Junior Lauren Harkins led the JSU defense against TTU, picking up a match-high 21 digs. The Louisville, Ky., native now has 1,714 career digs and will enter her senior season in 2011 needing just 35 to break Kisha West's school record for digs in a career.

Sophomore Jen Meyer, a preseason All-OVC selection, recorded 14 kills in the loss and used a .355 attack percentage to do so. Sophomore Alyx Schulte added seven kills and 11 digs, while junior Stephanie Koontz had five kills and was in on five of the team's seven blocks.

For Tennessee Tech, Leah Meffert put down 30 kills on a .373 attack percentage, while Melanie Culp dished 47 assists. The Golden Eagles will face No. 2 Austin Peay on Friday in the semifinals of the six-team tournament.