MOBILE, Ala. - Behind Juliana Almeida's 13 kills and eight digs, the University of South Alabama volleyball team swept Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana-Monroe, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-18) Sunday afternoon at Jag Gym. With the win, the Jags take two out of three in their three-match SBC home stand.
"Obviously, to get two wins this weekend is big for us. I think more importantly, that we are starting to play better and better," South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock. "Even in our loss to New Orleans on Saturday, we played well in the first two sets. I think that all we needed to see was that we can play well and be competitive, regardless of who the opponent is. The next couple of weeks are going to be very important for us, so we have to keep playing better each time we step onto the court."
USA (11-10, 2-6 SBC) will now head back out on the road for a pair of matches, beginning with Florida Atlantic on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT).
The Warhawks fall to 3-19 on the season with the loss and 0-7 in Sun Belt Conference action. ULM was led offensively by Mari O'Neal who posted a match-high 24 kills and hit .439 in the loss.
South Alabama held a huge advantage at the net, recording 18 block assists, compared to just six by Louisiana-Monroe. Olivia Mohler and Tereza Bendlova each led the way for the Jags in that category with four block assists apiece.
SET ONE: South Alabama 25, Louisiana-Monroe 23
Throughout most of the opening set, South Alabama controlled the tempo and led by as many as seven. With the Jags sitting one point away from taking the first set, ULM mounted a furious charge and reeled off six straight points to narrow the deficit to 24-23. However, on the next point, USA was able to end the Warhawk rally and take the set after an attack error from Louisiana-Monroe.
O'Neal recorded eight of her 24 kills during the first frame, while Almeida led the Jag attack with seven.
SET TWO: South Alabama 25, Louisiana-Monroe 22
After nearly rallying to take the first set, the Warhawks held the early momentum in set two, jumping out to an 8-5 lead on a Lacey Dietlin ace. Over the next 11 points though, South Alabama mounted a charge of its own and out-scored ULM 8-3 to retake the lead. Jag sophomore setter Jennica Hagberg capped off the run for USA when she dropped in an ace of her own.
Over the next few points, South Alabama was able to lead by as many as four (16-12), but like in the opening set, the Warhawks refused to roll over. After a Jaguar attack error, ULM was able to cut the deficit to 22-21. That was as close as USA would let the Warhawks get. A Louisiana-Monroe attack error sealed the 25-22 win for the Jags and USA headed into the intermission with a 2-0 lead in the match.
SET THREE: South Alabama 25, Louisiana-Monroe 18
Coming out of the break, Louisiana-Monroe held the early advantage again, leading by as may as four (13-9) after a kill from O'Neal. It was at that point that South Alabama re-took control of the match, closing the match on a 16-5 run. Almeida began the pivotal run with a put away and then clinched the 25-18 victory for USA when the junior outside hitter slammed home her 13th kill of the day.
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).
NOTES: With the win, South Alabama has now won at least 11 matches in each of the last three seasons. The 11 wins also mark the first time since the 1992 season, that the Jags have recorded three consecutive double-digit win seasons. The 24 kills by Mari O'Neal are the most by a Jag opponent this season. With her 13 kills against ULM, Juliana Almeida moved to ninth on USA's all-time career chart. She now has 783 for her career.
- USA -
