Box Score - South Alabama 3, UALR 2

MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama volleyball team rallied late in the fifth set Friday evening to capture a thrilling 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 16-25, 20-25, 17-15) Sun Belt Conference victory at Jaguar Gym. 

“I honestly believe that we are our toughest opponent at times,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said.  “We allowed UALR to take some momentum in sets three and four when we started making errors we had not made in the first two sets.  In this sport, if a team gets a little bit of momentum, a team can take that and run with it.  UALR did start playing better and I give credit to them for that.  Their hitters started doing the things I knew they could do after watching them on tape.  At the same time, we also started to fall apart, but I am really proud of our players fighting back and getting the five-set win.  It was crucial for us, because we may see a lot more of them.  It is such a mental game that you have to experience a five-setter and win it in order for you to start believing you can win them every time.”

The win for the Jags snapped a 17-match skid in the series with UALR and was the first for USA versus the Trojans since the 1995 season.  It was also the first home-conference-opening win for South Alabama since that same season.

USA (7-11, 2-1 SBC) will return to action on Sunday when the Jags host Arkansas State at 1 p.m.  With the loss, UALR drops to 2-11 overall and 0-3 in the league.

South Alabama placed four players in double figures as Juliana Almeida, Olivia Mohler and Torlandria Jones each recorded 12 kills and Samia Salomao added 11.  Salomao and Almeida also chipped in with 14 and 13 digs, respectively to give the pair their ninth and sixth double-doubles of the season.  Freshman libero Jenna Hassell had a team-high 17 digs, while senior defensive specialist Kari Frazier had 10 of her own.

UALR was paced by Paige Ganter’s 18 kills.  Kristi Block had 12 of her own, while Eva Zie posted 11.  Emily Pepperman led all players with 18 digs in the loss.

SET ONE: South Alabama 25, UALR 20

The two clubs kept things close during first set with neither team able to take more than a two-point advantage on the other for most of the frame.  With the set tied at 13-13, USA pushed across three-straight points after a kill and an ace from Almeida and a UALR attack error.  The Trojans were able to close the gap to one two points later, but that was as close as they got as USA went on to pick up the 25-20 victory.  Jennica Hagberg and Jillian Jordan teamed up to turn back an attack and seal the five-point win.

For the set, South Alabama came out on fire offensively, recording 16 kills on 29 attempts, while committing just four miscues of its own for a .414 hitting percentage.  USA used a balanced attack during the first set, as four players recorded three kills or more.  Ganter led the UALR offense with five kills of her own.

SET TWO: South Alabama 25, UALR 22

In the second set, UALR looked as if it had taken control when the Trojans broke a 9-9 tie with a run of four-consecutive points, the first two coming on block assists from Ty Linberg and Jordan Erz, but the Jags quickly came right back with four unanswered points of their
own tying the contest on another ace from Hagberg, her fourth of the match. 

With the Trojans holding a 20-18 lead, South Alabama rallied back again.  Almeida once again ignited the Jaguar scoring spurt with another kill.  The kill was also a historic one for the senior from San Jose Dos Campos, Brazil as with it, she became just the sixth player in the program’s history to reach the 1,000 kill mark for her career. 

Following the kill from Almeida, USA tied the set up on the next point and then Mohler gave South Alabama the lead for good with a kill of her own.  Mohler later clinched the 25-22 second-set victory for USA when the sophomore slammed home another kill.

SET THREE: UALR 25, South Alabama 16

South Alabama led 9-8 in the third set, but UALR took control when the Trojans erupted for a10-2 run over the next 12 points.  Jennifer Ebert began the run for UALR with a kill and Xie later capped off the scoring with a put away of her own.  From that point on, the Trojans continued to hold the momentum and never allowed USA to get any closer than five before taking the 25-16 win. 

For the set, UALR bounced back to record a .343 hitting percentage, while South Alabama managed to just hit .086.

SET FOUR: UALR 25, South Alabama 20

Like most of the match, the two teams kept things close early, but with the fourth set tied at 13-13, Daniele Souza Moura dropped in a kill to begin a stretch in which the Trojans pushed across six of the next seven points to take the lead for good.  USA didn’t help itself during the UALR run as the Jags committed three attack errors and a serving error.  UALR later evened the match at two sets apiece with the 25-20 victory.

SET FIVE: South Alabama 17, UALR 15

 In the fifth and deciding set, UALR looked as if it were going to complete the comeback as the Trojans built a 9-6 lead, but the Jags again rallied back with four-straight points to take a one-point advantage.  UALR later retook the lead and set at match-point after a kill from Block, but Almeida answered and slammed home a kill to tie the set up.  After a Trojan attack error, Mohler clinched the victory for USA with her 12th kill of the night.

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).