Feature Photo by Jaeda Jackson
Story by Willie Phaler
Middle Tennessee volleyball (8-12, 4-4) swept Conference USA foe Jacksonville State (7-14, 0-8) in a two-game series this weekend.
MTSU won the first match on Saturday night, 3-1.
The Blue Raiders started out the first set hot, going on a 7-2 run to open play. MTSU maintained the lead for the majority of the set, but the Gamecocks slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually knotting the set up at 19 apiece.
Back-and-forth play as the score reached the twenties led to extended points, where the Gamecocks scored a service ace from setter Ellie Garrett to win the set 28-26
After dropping the first set, Middle Tennessee took control of the match in the second.
MTSU came out of the short intermission on fire, as they opened the set on an 8-1 run. Jax State didn’t make it easy on the Blue Raiders as they again gained ground on Middle Tennessee, getting within two points of the lead at 19-17.
A powerful spike off the right hand of Adri Rhoda pushed the MTSU lead to 20-17, and the Blue Raiders never looked back from there, winning the set 25-17.
At the beginning of the third set, Jacksonville State had control early, gaining a 7-1 lead early on. MTSU battled back and tied the set at 15. The teams continued to trade points, seeing ties late in the set at 24, 25 and 26 points each.
Middle Tennessee broke through with two points in a row, in route to winning its second straight set.
The fourth set was tight early, as it seemed the two teams had found equal footing. The two teams traded blows until Jacksonville State found themselves with a 21-18 lead. With a three-point deficit and a chance to win the match, MTSU went on a 7-1 run to win 25-19.
“We were waiting on their mistakes, instead of controlling our own side. At the end we controlled our side better,” senior libero Laure Jansen said of MTSU’s late run in the fourth set.
Graduate student Brooke Springer led the Blue Raiders Saturday night, as she had a personal season-high in kills with eight. Additionally, Springer tallied two blocks on the night.
“I had a feeling that I was just ready to go (tonight),” Springer said. “I used that as momentum throughout the whole game.”
On Saturday afternoon, Middle Tennessee continued its success against Jacksonville State, winning 3-0.
Prior to the game, Jansen was honored for reaching the milestones of 1,000 digs and 100 service aces in her collegiate career. She helped propel MTSU to victory with 33 digs across the two games this weekend.
“I was so happy to achieve that,” Jansen said. “It [the milestones] gave me motivation of wanting more today.”
After Saturday’s victory, MTSU carried that momentum over and dominated Jax State on Sunday, winning the first set 25-11. The Blue Raiders amassed a 7-2 lead to open the set, and never looked back in the period.
MTSU carried over the dominance into the second set, as they once again won by a score of 25-11. The Blue Raiders capitalized on Gamecock errors, as they scored due to 12 errors in the period by Jax State.
The third and final set continued to be all Middle Tennessee, as they won 25-17. Rhoda delivered a strong spike to win the set, with an assist from Andi Spies.
Rhoda was a top player for MTSU in Sunday’s game, as she had 11 kills, one service ace and led the team with 17 points. The Blue Raiders did a really good job of controlling their game and limiting errors, Rhoda said.
MTSU finished the weekend with two wins over a conference opponent and six straight set victories. The seep puts the Blue Raiders in seventh place in the C-USA standings at 4-4, with a little over a month before the conference tournament.
Willie Phaler is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines
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