Jacksonville State Captures 3-1 Home Win Over Redhawks :: Jessica Koeper produces 23 kills and 18 digs in Southeast's regular-season finale

Jessica Koeper produces 23 kills and 18 digs in Southeast's regular-season finale

Nov. 11, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Junior Abbey Breit (18 kills, 18 digs) and freshman Brittney Whitten (19 digs, 17 kills) each recorded double-doubles as host Jacksonville State defeated visiting Southeast Missouri State volleyball in four games (30-21, 22-30, 30-26, 30-23) in the Ohio Valley Conference season finale for both team at JSU's Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Gamecocks improve to 22-4 (16-0) with the win, while the loss drop Redhawks to 14-17 (8-8).

Senior outside hitter Jessica Koeper (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) led Southeast with a double-double of a match-best 23 kills and 18 digs. Senior setter Jamie Baumstark (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) nearly posted a triple-double as she had amassed 44 assists, 13 digs and seven kills and freshman right side hitter Karleigh DeLong (Corona, Calif./Santiago) added a double-double of her own with 10 kills and 10 digs. Freshmen liberos Molly Davis (Muncie, Ind./Burris) and Taylor Harbster (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie) each recorded 12 digs for the Redhawks.

In the first game, three straight service aces from junior defensive specialist Abbey Vierling propelled JSU to an early 10-7 lead. Kills from Whitten and senior Joi Watts later brought the Gamecocks' advantage at 19-12. Whitten gave the home team its biggest lead of the stanza at 26-16 and JSU took a 1-0 lead by scoring four of the final nine points. The Redhawks bounced back in the second game to gain a 15-10 lead on a kill from Koeper. Consecutive kills from freshman middle blocker Hannah Weis (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) increased Southeast's leading margin to nine points at 22-13. After a Whitten kill pulled JSU to 26-21, the Redhawks finished with a 4-1 scoring drive, including back-to-back DeLong kills, to even the match at one game apiece heading into intermission.

Southeast continued where it left off in the second game by claiming a 10-5 lead on a block from DeLong and Weis, but the Gamecocks would go on a 15-5 run to even the score at 20-20 on a kill from Breit. JSU finished the game by scoring 10 of the final 16 points, including seven combined kills from Watts and Whitten to go up by a 2-1 margin.

The Redhawks broke an 8-8 tie to open the fourth game with a 5-3 run to capture a 13-11 lead on a kill from Koeper. Another Koeper kill increased the visitors lead to 16-14 before a quick 5-0 scoring drive handed JSU a 19-16 advantage. Southeast struck back with a 4-0 run of its own to capture a slim 20-19 lead on a kill from junior middle blocker Brenna Schlader (Columbia, Mo./Hickman). The Gamecocks would respond with a match-closing 11-4 run to claim the win.

In addition to Breit and Whitten, senior Emily Withers tallied a match-best 61 assists and senior Jessica Starck added a match high 20 digs for JSU. Junior Rebekah Nichols (14 kills) and Watts (11 kills) also produced double-digit kills efforts for the Gamecocks, while Vierling finished with 17 digs and four service aces.

The Redhawks earned the sixth seed in the O'Reilly OVC Tournament, held at Mathews Coliseum, where they will face third-seeded Murray State in a first round match on Thursday, Nov. 16 with a start time of 6 p.m.