JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- The Gamecocks won the fight, but the Golden Eagles will finish the war. Jacksonville State defeated Tech 3-1 Tuesday night in Jacksonville, Ala. The entire season the Golden Eagles toughest opponent has been themselves. They are battle-tested, but with one match remaining in the season, Tech has proved that it has evolved into a team that will fight until the last whistle blows.  

Set scores were 25-18, 15-25, 26-24, and 25-16. 

The Gamecocks stormed out in the first set, using their home-court advantage, and defeated the Golden Eagles 25-18, but unlike their first meeting, Tech bounced back in the second set, showing they were a different team since their first meeting. 

A balanced offense was lead by senior Kelsey Gray, junior Ellen Conti and freshman Cody Dodd. Each hitter had 11 terminations, hitting .333, .176 and .276 respectively. 

Ashleigh Hancock dished out 21 assists and Madison Comperry recorded 16, spreading an offense that gave pinhitters several one-on-one blocking situations. Setting up the offense was the leader of the backcourt, Courtney Smith. Smith again had a match-high 18 digs, with Conti tallying 12 and Hancock 11. 

The second set was dominated by the Golden Eagles who hit .368 as a team, totaling 15 kills with just one error, forcing the Gamecocks out of system and leading most of the set. 

Jacksonville State returned from the break revitallized and clinched a 3-1 victory with wins in the third and fourth set. 

The Golden Eagles return to the court for their final match of the season Saturday when they travel to Southeast Missouri State for a 2 p.m. match.