COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Sophomore Kelsey Gray notched a
double-double the hard way Friday night, combining 11 kills with 10
blocks to help lift Tennessee Tech to a 3-1 Ohio Valley Conference
volleyball victory over Jacksonville State in front of an
exhuberant and delighted crowd in Eblen Center.
"The team played amazing in the first two sets," Gray said. "I was
really proud of the way the team played in the fourth set after we
had lost the third set. The crowd really helped us back into it in
the fourth set."
Tech has now won four of its last six matches to improved to 4-5 in
OVC play and 6-14 overall. Jacksonville State, which came into the
match tied for second place in the OVC, slipped to 6-3 within the
league and 11-9 overall.
Gray, a 6-2 middle blocker from Newark, Ohio, was one of three
Golden Eagles to reach double figures in kills. All-OVC senior Leah
Meffert led all players with 17 kills while hitting .364, and
senior Marie
Peddicord added 10 kills and four total blocks. Freshman libero
Allison May had 25 of Tech's 54 digs, while Melanie Culp dished up 42
assists.
Caitlin Vorbeck finished with 15 kills and nine digs for the
Gamecocks while Alyx Schulte added 12 kills. Lauren Harkins paced
the JSU defense with 20 digs while setter Brooke Schumacher had 35
assists.
"Every win is big, no matter who you're facing," said TTU head
coach John Blair. "To have a win like this against a quality
opponent says a lot about our team's character.
"Kelsey (pictured at left) revealed the true Kelsey Gray
tonight," Blair added. "She did something that she's always been
capable of and it was nice to see it tonight. Leah scored so many
points tonight. We talked about staying aggressive before the match
and she did just that, and she got the big plays when we needed
them."
The Golden Eagles led most of the first set, jumping out to a
quick 5-0 lead and maintaining an edge before the Gamecocks ralied
late to tie the score at 18-18. The visitors tied the contest at
19, 20, 23 and 24 before the Golden Eagles clinched the point with
a kill by Gray and a JSU attack error for the 26-24 victory. Tech
hit .286 in the opening round as Gray and Meffert led the way. Gray
had six kills and a .454 hitting mark while Meffert hit .625 and
added five kills. Schulte and Vorbeck had six kills apiece in the
first set.
It was at the net that the Golden Eagles dominated in the second
set, taking a 25-11 decision for a 2-0 lead in the match. Gray had
eight total blocks in the set and Penrod added four as defense was
the difference. Tech managed just three kills but took advantage
with the blocking game. JSU had six kills but 17 errors in hitting
a minus .306 for the set.
"I was pretty excited at the end of the second set," Gray said. "I
got two blocks in a row late in the set and the adrenaline really
started pumping."
Jacksonville returned from the break to snare the third set,
25-16, breaking away late in the set. Kara Slater, Vorbeck and
Schumacher each had kills in the late run and the Golden Eagles
aided the visitors with several errors. Harkins also drilled a pair
of service aces for the Gamecocks.
Tech bounced back to capture the fourth set, 25-18, to clinch the
victory. The Golden Eagles took advantage of some timely hitting
and a handful of Gamecock miscues for the winner. Jacksonville
State actually took control early, building a 10-4 lead as the
Golden Eagle had trouble keeping the ball in play. JSU was still on
top by five points, 15-10, before Meffert (pictured at
left), Peddicord and freshman Natalie Penrod each slammed home
kills to ignite Tech's comeback. Three consecutive attack errors by
JSU pushed Tech to a 19-17 lead, and the Golden Eagles grabbed
control. Penrod and Gray had kills, Laura Pierce served an
ace, and Tech finished it off with two kills by Meffert and one
from Gray.
Meffert was nearly flawless in the fourth set with seven kills in
nine swings without an error for a .778 hitting mark.