Fifth-year senior Lena Kindermann hit. 429 with 10 kills and a pair of blocks to lead Jacksonville State to a monstrous sweep of Indiana on Saturday night to close the opening weekend of the season with a 3-0 slate.
Earlier in the afternoon, JSU (3-0) dispatched Indiana State in straight sets as part of the Gamecocks' perfect 9-0 set record for the opening weekend. The upset of Indiana inside the Hoosiers' Wilkinson Hall marks JSU's first "Power Five" victory since a 3-2 win over Tennessee at Knoxville in 2013.
"I'm really proud of the team," said head coach Todd Garvey following the win. "To go 3-0 in a tough tournament, and to cap it off by sweeping a Big Ten (Conference) team in their own gym says a lot about our team."
"We were dialed in on the scouting report all night long. It was our defense and 'all-out effort' that was the difference maker. Erin Carmichael was terrific all night and played the best match of her career."
Behind Kindermann, Katie Montgomery had a standout night as well with eight kills and a .400 hitting clip. Overall, JSU hit .326 as a team, while holding IU to a .163 mark with 19 errors. Senior Zoe Gonzales recorded three of JSU's seven blocks, while Sophie Riemersma turned away two attacks to go along with her six kills. Claire Ochs directed the balanced attack with 32 assists.
Defensively, Indiana-product Erin Carmichael led the team with 13 digs, ahead of Courtney Glotzbach who also finished in double digits with 10 and seven kills. Sophomore Brooklyn Schiffli added six digs as part of a solid JSU back row which also featured Kylee Quigley.
After jumping out to a 10-5 advantage in the first set, JSU never trailed enroute to a 25-21 win. Despite staying close, the Gamecocks also failed to relinquish the lead in the second frame. The Hoosiers used a late rally to even the score at 24-24, before JSU took the next two points for a 2-0 match lead. In the third, the Gamecocks zeroed in on the sweep forcing IU to take timeouts down 7-2 and 19-11.
Jax State will look to continue its hot start next weekend at Clemson's tournament.
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