LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell in four sets Saturday evening, as UALR captured a 3-1 (16-25, 17-25, 25-16, 16-25) Sun Belt Conference victory at the Jack Stephens Center.
"We've really had a rough week starting last Friday against FAU," South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said. "We have been playing very inconsistent and very unlike the way that we began the season. Today in one set, we saw how we know we can play. We also saw bits and pieces of that through out the match. I think we just needed to see that and hopefully that will get us back on track."
USA (9-9, 0-5 SBC) will now return home for three-straight home matches, beginning Friday (Oct. 9) when the Jags take on Louisiana-Lafayette at 5 p.m. South Alabama will also host New Orleans on Saturday at 5 p.m. and Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday at 1 p.m.
With the win, UALR improves to 10-6 on the season and 4-1 in league play.
Juliana Almeida led all players with a match-high 14 kills and 14 digs in the loss. Olivia Mohler, Tereza Bendlova and Lindsay Schwartz also chipped in with nine kills each. Junior libero Kari Frazier posted 12 digs and three aces for South Alabama.
The Trojans used a balanced attack in the victory, as three players finished in double figures in kills - Anita Bucur (12), Paige Ganter (11) and Kristi Block (10). Becky Mann and Katharina Nobel also added eight kills.
SET ONE: UALR 25, South Alabama 16
In the opener, UALR got off to the quick start, jumping out to a quick 7-2 lead. The Trojans took the five-point advantage on a kill from Block. USA battled back and trimmed the deficit to two (10-8) after a Mohler kill, but UALR answered with five of the next six points to stretch its lead back out to 15-10. The Trojans didn't allow the Jags to draw any closer the rest of the way and went on to take the first set, 25-16.
SET TWO: UALR 25, South Alabama 17
Like the opening set, UALR came out of the gate hot offensively, beginning the second set with a 5-1 spurt. Nobel led the Trojan attack over the first several points, recording three of her kills during the run. Sophomore Jag setter Jennica Hagberg narrowed the gap to two (5-3) when she caught the Trojan defense napping and dumped in a kill of her own.
After UALR had stretched its lead back out to eight (15-7), South Alabama reeled off five unanswered points and Frazier dropped in an ace to cut the deficit to three.
The Jags could get no closer though and UALR eventually went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-17 win.
SET THREE: South Alabama 25, UALR 16
Coming out after the intermission, South Alabama picked up the first two points of the third set - a Hristina Markova kill and a Frazier ace - and didn't relinquish the lead the rest of the set. Holding an 8-6 lead, USA's Almeida ignited a run of eight unanswered points and Mohler put the Jags out in front 16-6 with another put away.
From that point on, South Alabama didn't allow the Trojans to draw any closer and Almeida clinched the 25-16 set-victory with her fourth kill of the frame. Mohler and Tereza Bendlova also recorded four kills during the third set for the Jags. South Alabama posted its best hitting percentage of the match with a .417.
SET FOUR: UALR 25, South Alabama 25-16
In the finale holding just a one-point advantage (9-8), UALR was able to push across four of the next five points to stretch its lead out to four. Later in the set leading 17-13, the Trojans used another big run to seal the victory, closing the set with on an 8-3 scoring spurt. Mann clinched 25-16 win and the match for UALR with one of her eight kills.
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: The 25-16 third-set victory by South Alabama against UALR, snapped a streak of 20 SBC regular season set-losses. Prior to the third-set win, USA had been swept in each of its last six regular-season SBC matches and had dropped the first two against the Trojans. With her 14 kills and 14 digs, Juliana Almeida recorded her eighth double-double of the season. The 0-5 SBC start by the Jags marks the first time since the 2007 season that USA has began league play with that record.
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