MURFREESBORO, Tenn. ? The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell in straight sets to Middle Tennessee (25-15, 25-22, 25-9) Saturday evening at Alumni Memorial Gym in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

USA (11-14, 5-12 SBC) battled through the first two sets, totaling 22 kills during that span. The Jags came up short in the third set with just five kills. USA tallied 27 kills and a .098 hitting percentage in the match.

Middle Tennessee (24-5, 14-3 SBC) finished with 45 kills in the contest, and a .481 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Izabela Kozon led the Blue Raiders with 15 kills.

Juliana Almeida led the Jags with nine kills and a .368 hitting percentage. Samia Salomao finished with nine digs, and Maria Kashavelova tallied 22 assists in the match.

With Florida International’s win over Florida Atlantic Saturday evening, USA secures a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, its first since the 2001 season.

SET ONE:  Middle Tennessee 25, South Alabama 15

After the Jags tied the score 4-4, MT scored nine unanswered points to jump out to a 13-4 lead. USA went on a 5-0 run to cut the Blue Raiders’ lead to 17-11. The Jags battled back to cut the MT lead to just six at 21-15, but a 4-0 run by Middle Tennessee closed out the set. The Blue Raiders recorded 13 kills during the set, led by outside hitter Ashley Mead’s five kills. Markova and Tereza Bendlova tallied three kills each. Middle Tennessee recorded a .455 hitting percentage, while the Jags finished with a .094 percentage.

SET TWO: Middle Tennessee 25, South Alabama 22

South Alabama took a 7-4 lead early in the set, but a 4-1 run by Middle Tennessee tied the score 8-8. The Blue Raiders used a 6-1 run to take a 14-10 lead midway through the set. A 6-2 run by the Jags cut the MT lead to 24-22, before a USA service error ended the set. South Alabama finished with 13 kills in the set, led by Almeida’s six. Brittany Blackwelder added five kills to the USA attack. MT recorded 15 kills in the set, led by outside hitter Izabela Kozon who finished with six. Middle Tennessee ended the set with a .406 hitting percentage, while the Jags finished with a .258 hitting percentage.

SET THREE: Middle Tennessee 25, South Alabama 9

Middle Tennessee opened the set with a 9-2 run. The Blue Raiders increased their lead to 17-5 with five unanswered points midway through the set. The Jags were outscored by MT 8-4 to close the set. Middle Tennessee finished with 17 kills and a .593 hitting percentage in the final set. The Jags ended the set with five kills and a -.069 hitting percentage.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).