Box Score - North Texas 3, South Alabama 1

DENTON, Texas – The University of South Alabama volleyball team captured the first set over North Texas Sunday afternoon at the Mean Green Volleyball Center, but the Sun Belt West Division leader rallied back to pick up the next three and defeat the Jags, 3-1 (26-24, 26-28, 23-25, 17-25).

“We played much better than we did on Friday against on Denver,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock.  “One of the things I was interested in seeing in today's match was to see how we would bounce back.  I thought we competed well with North Texas in the first three sets.  Hopefully seeing that we can play well against a good team like we did today will help us as we return home for our next three matches.”

USA (9-15, 4-5 SBC) will return home to host three-straight matches, beginning with Florida International on Friday (Oct. 29) at 7 p.m.  Juliana Almeida was one of three Jags to finish double-figures in kills with 17.  Samia Salomao added 13, while Olivia Mohler chipped in with 12.  Almeida also had 14 digs to give her the 25th double-double of her career and the eighth of the season for the San Jose Dos Campos, Brazil native.

With the win North Texas improved to 17-9 on the season and 9-2 in the Sun Belt.  Like the Jags, they also had three players end the match with double-digit kill tallies.  Amy Huddleston posted a match-high 18 kills for the Mean Green, while Rachelle Wilson had 14 and Melanie Boykin had 10.

SET ONE: South Alabama 26, North Texas 24

North Texas was the first to take control in the opening set, pushing across three-straight points to break an early 7-7 tie, but following a Jaguar time out, South Alabama rallied back and took a 12-11 lead on a kill from Almeida.  Torlandria Jones also recorded two of her seen block assists in the match during the mini-run for USA.

The two teams traded points over the next portion of the set with each team gaining a two-point lead on the other.  The Mean Green looked to be in control of the set after a pair of kills from Boykin gave UNT a 20-18 advantage, but Almeida answered right back for the Jaguars when the senior outside hitter slammed home three-straight kills to put USA back out in front at 21-20.

Later with the set tied at 24, South Alabama was able to pick up the final two points and take the 26-24 victory after a North Texas serving error and an attack error.  Attack errors proved to be the difference in the set as USA committed just two, while the Mean Green had five.  Almeida and North Texas’ Huddleston each had six kills apiece during the first set.

SET TWO: North Texas 28, South Alabama 26

The second set remained close for much of the frame as neither team was able to take more than a two-point advantage through the first half of the set.  Almeida and Salomao provided most of the scoring for South Alabama early, as the duo recorded four kills each over South Alabama’s first 14 points. 

With the set tied at 14-14, USA gained the momentum when it pushed across three-straight points after a pair of kills from Jones and a Mohler put away.  South Alabama kept its lead at three for much of the remainder of the set, but sitting at set-point (24-21) after a kill from Salomao, North Texas rallied back and reeled off four unanswered points to retake the lead. 

Later tied at 26-26 in extra points, UNT’s Kayla Saey dropped in a shot to give the Mean Green the lead for good and Huddleston sealed the 28-26 win with her 11th kill of the match.

After committing just two attack errors during the first set, South Alabama recorded six costly errors in the second set.

SET THREE: North Texas 25, South Alabama 23

Like the previous two sets, play remained tight as neither team was able to pull away from the other.  USA led 22-21 in the third set after a North Texas attack error, but coming out of a time out, the Mean Green reclaimed the lead with three-straight points after kills from Wilson and Boykin and a South Alabama attack error.  Huddleston later clinched the set (25-23) for the Mean Green with another kill.

SET FOUR: North Texas 25, South Alabama 17

South Alabama led by one early in the fourth set, but North Texas grabbed the lead of good with a run of six-straight points.  Wilson paced the scoring spurt with three kills and Huddleston capped off the run with yet another one of her 18 kills.

With UNT holding a 12-5 advantage, USA turned to its defense to try and spark a rally.  Almeida and Jones teamed up for three-straight block assists and Almeida then posted a kill to narrow the deficit to three.

North Texas didn’t let the Jags get any closer as the Mean Green sealed up the victory with a 9-2 run over the next 11 points and held on to take the 25-17 fourth-set win.

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).