Florida International and Florida Atlantic Match Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will open its final home stand of the season Friday evening when it welcomes Florida International to Jag Gym for its annual “Dig Pink” match.  First serve versus the Golden Panthers is set for 7 p.m.at Jag Gym.  USA players will wear pink warm up t-shirts, socks and shoe laces in honor of the awareness campaign and pink items will be sold during the match with the proceeds going to the Mitchell Cancer Institute. 

“These upcoming matches are important for our program in many ways,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said.  “We are finally back at home and these are the last three home matches of the season for our fans to come see us and our seniors. On Friday, we are playing for an important cause with our "Dig Pink" match. All of us have been affected by breast cancer in some form and this is such a good cause and a great reason for everyone to come decked out in pink.”

On Sunday, South Alabama will also take on Sun Belt East Division foe Florida Atlantic with the match set to begin at noon.

Entering this week’s action, the Jags hold a 9-15 record and sit in fourth-place in the division 4-5 mark in the Sun Belt – one match behind FIU.  South Alabama is also in seventh-place as far as seeding for this year’s tournament, holding a two-match lead over Troy and a three-match advantage over FAU.

Despite falling to Denver on Friday, the Jags played better in their 3-1 defeat against West Division leader North Texas.  Against the Mean Green, USA held on to take the first set and had chances late in sets two and three before falling to UNT.

Juliana Almeida continues to pace the offensive attack for the Jags.  The senior is averaging just under three kills per set at 2.97 and ranks third on the club in digs with 3.01.  This season, she has posted eight double-doubles, including a 17 kill, 14 dig effort on Sunday versus North Texas.

Fellow outside hitter Samia Salomao has also played well this season for USA.  Salomao leads the club with 3.40 digs per set, while her 2.52 kps rank second on the team.  Like Almeida, Salomao also posted a double-double against the Mean Green - her 11th of the season - and finished with 13 kills and 13 digs.  Against UNT, she moved into fifth-place on South Alabama’s career dig list as she now has 910 in her three seasons at USA.

Freshman libero Jenna Hassell continues to post solid number in her first collegiate season.  She now ranks second on the team in digs with 294 and is averaging 3.34 dps.  As a team, South Alabama ranks second in the Sun Belt in digs with 16.0 per set.

The Golden Panthers come into the weekend with an 11-10 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the Sun Belt.  This past weekend, Florida International split its two matches, defeating UALR (3-0) on Friday, but falling to Arkansas State (3-0) on Sunday. 

Freshman outside hitter Una Trkulja from Kopervik, Norway has posted solid numbers in her first collegiate season.  She leads the team with 3.21 kills per set coming into the weekend and has recorded 241 total kills.  Trkulja also paces the club behind the service line with 21 aces.

Junior middle blocker Andrea Lakovic has also had a strong season as her 2.80 kps rank second on the club.  She has also been extremely efficient in the hitting category, coming in at .322 for the season.  As a team, FIU is hitting .222 - fourth in the conference. 

FIU holds a dominant 18-4-1 record in the all-time series between the two teams.  The Golden Panthers have won 16 of the last 17 meetings in the series, including 10-straight.  USA’s last win versus Florida International came back during the 2004 season, when the Jags captured a 3-2 victory in Miami.  South Alabama is just 1-7 against FIU in matches played in Mobile.

The Owls enter SBC action this week with a 10-15 mark on the season and a 1-8 record in the conference.  Over the weekend, Florida Atlantic dropped both its matches, falling in straight-sets to Arkansas State and in five to UALR.  Coming into play, FAU has lost all seven of its matches during the month of October.

The offensive attack by the Owls has been very balanced so far this season.  Four players are averaging over two kills per set led by Christina Wallinger’s 2.63.  Wallinger also leads the team at the net with 82 total blocks and 0.92 per set. 

Sophomore libero Cintia Nightingale has been solid in the defensive back court for the Owls.  She currently has 298 digs on the year and is averaging 3.47 per set.

FAU holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two clubs.  Dating back to the 2008 season, the Owls have won three of the last four meetings, including both last season.  USA is 2-2 in Mobile against Florida Atlantic.

 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).