JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Coming off the toughest stretch of the season, NM State Volleyball is looking to get back on track. The Aggies recently wrapped up a 16-day gauntlet that included eight matches and 4,579 miles covered. Taking on LA Tech in Ruston, UTEP in a midweek rivalry matchup and Liberty back on the road was enough to test any team. The Aggies' reward after all of that; conference-undefeated (RV) Western Kentucky.
Western Kentucky (now ranked 25th) took all six sets in the Pan American Center, extending their winning streak to 13. WKU sits atop the CUSA standings at 8-0; a place they've become familiar with. The Hilltoppers haven't dropped a regular-season conference match since Oct. 19, 2018 against UNT. The five-year streak claimed its 65th and 66th wins over the weekend, while NM State earned its first consecutive losses all season.
The Aggies will now face a less imposing foe, heading to the Heart of Dixie to square off with 4-14 Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks came out on top and put up two sweeps in their first CUSA series with Sam Houston. However, they find themselves on a six-match and 18-set losing streak. Most recently, Jax State hosted Liberty for a pair that saw the Flames sweep both times.
Match 1 - Friday, Oct. 20 at 5:00 PM MT
Match 2 - Saturday, Oct. 21 at 12:00 PM MT
Scouting the Gamecocks
Jax State is led by Derek Schroeder in his first season with the program. Schroeder boasts a career record of 254-193, most of which came at his previous stops (Samford and Mercer). Despite winning five conference titles between the two, the transition to the CUSA level has proven to be a struggle for him and the team.
The Gamecocks (2-6) currently sit at seventh in the nine-team CUSA standings. However, the results have been even worse than some of the numbers would indicate. As mentioned, Schroeder led his squad to two decisive sweeps to start conference play on Sept. 22-23. Sam Houston is at the bottom of the conference table with a record of 1-9 and have lost four in a row.
When excluding their two wins against the Bearkats: Jax State is 0-6 in CUSA and has not won a set in 18 opportunities. The Gamecocks are 2-14 overall, with wins over Arkansas - Pine Bluff and McNeese. They have won just seven of 51 total sets, and have lost the last 24. In their 14 losses, Jax State has won just one set, never making it to a fifth set and getting swept 13 times.
Offensively, things usually run through junior setter Ellie Garrett. The Eastern Washington transfer leads the team with 467 assists (8.81 per set). Nobody else has collected more than 40 on the season. On top of facilitating the offense, Garrett will bring things to a close at times. Her 13 service aces lead the team, and she has an efficient .276 hitting percentage with 47 kills on 123 attempts.
Garrett has five teammates with more attempts than herself. Unfortunately for her and the team, four of those five have posted a hitting percentage below .200. The team is seventh in CUSA with a combined mark of .175. NM State will likely take advantage of this, as the Aggies are second in the conference with an opponent hitting percentage of just .182. The Gamecocks have failed to hit above .175 in CUSA play outside of their victories over Sam Houston.
On the defensive side, Jax State is averaging 1.57 blocks per set, led by sophomore middle blocker Morgan McClure (0.80). The squad has tallied three or fewer blocks in five of their last six matches. The team puts up 12.89 digs per set, shy of the Aggies' 13.91. No Gamecocks are over the 3.00 digs per set mark, however. Jax State has collected 40 or more digs just once in their last six matches.
How to Follow
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+, and available to follow via Stat Broadcast. Those links can be found at nmstatesports.com.
For complete coverage of NM State Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateVBall), Instagram (@NMStateVBall) and like us on Facebook (NM State Volleyball). You can also follow along with Aggie Volleyball via NMStateSports.com.
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