Roundtree, Kennon Combine for 27 Kills on First Day of Gamecock Classic

JACKSONVILLE, Ala - The New Orleans Privateers saw most of their offense run through the middle in Courtney Roundtree and Ava Kennon as they combined for 27 kills in the two matches on the day. New Orleans lost 3-1 to West Georgia and 3-0 to Jacksonville State in the first day of the Gamecock Classic.
 
WEST GEORGIA-3 NEW ORLEANS-1
In the regular season opener, the Privateers attempted to rally from an early deficit but were left with too much to do after falling on the short end of each of the first two sets.
 
West Georgia didn't trail in the opening set after a four-point mini spurt broke a 9-9 tie. The Wolves had 15 kills and three service aces in the set while recording an attack percentage of .353. Roundtree led the Privateer offense in the opening set with four kills in seven attempts.
 
New Orleans got out to a fast start when they raced to an 8-3 lead. The Wolves responded by going on a stretch that saw them score on 14 of the next 19 rallies to take a four-point edge.
 
However, Roundtree and Buse Kocakaya got the score back on level terms as 17-17 as they had two kills, an ace and a block between them. It was Mary Morgan Formby who clinched the set for West Georgia though as she produced three kills in the last five rallies to finish the set out at 25-22.
 
New Orleans rallied from an early deficit to take the third set behind a huge service run from Molly Kehoe. The Privateers scored six consecutive points on the senior's serve including three from service aces. New Orleans wound up holding on in extra rallies as Kocakaya recorded her seventh kill of the match to clinch the set at the second time of asking.
 
West Georgia came back with a fierce early run in the fourth set and never looked back. They recorded the first five points with three coming on blocks. The Wolves hit .303 as a team and also added three aces in what wound up being the deciding set.
 
Kocakaya led the Privateers with eight kills and added 12 digs. Roundtree and Kennon each recorded seven kills. Chelsea Daffin finished with a team-high 14 digs.
 
 
JACKSONVILLE STATE-3 NEW ORLEANS-0
Jacksonville State ended the first day 2-0 as they defeated the New Orleans Privateers 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-16) in the nightcap at the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
The Gamecocks took the opening set that featured a 13-6 advantage in the kill department. Jacksonville State used a 5-1 run to gain some early separation as they pushed to an 11-7 lead in the opening set. They led the remainder of the first set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
In the second set, Jacksonville State scored the first four points before New Orleans got on the board with a kill from Kennon. The Privateers tied the set up at 6-6 but the Gamecocks scored on the ensuing four rallies. Two of those points came from Ellie Garrett service aces.
 
The Gamecocks got to a 2-0 lead after closing the second set by scoring on five of the last six rallies. Sanni Rantanen had three points in that stretch.
 
New Orleans trailed for most of the third set but kept the Gamecocks within their sights through the first part of the set. The deficit stood at 15-12 but Jacksonville State lengthened their advantage through kills from five different players. Caty Havekost led the way in that span with three kills.
 
Roundtree hit .385 for the Privateers and led the team in kills with six. Kennon finished with six kills and a .462 attack percentage. Akeir Scales had a pair of blocks.
 
NEXT UP
The Privateers' opening weekend finishes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
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