Box Score - FIU 3, South Alabama 0
MIAMI – Florida International hit .494 as a team and had three players with at least 10 kills in a 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-20) victory over the University of South Alabama volleyball team Saturday night at US Century Bank Arena.
The Jaguars end the regular season with an 11-20 overall record and a 6-10 mark in the Sun Belt Conference, and will continue play in the SBC Tournament Nov. 18-20 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. FIU improves to 19-10, 12-4.
“FIU is playing much better now than they were when we played the first time,” said USA head coach Nicole Keshock. “They have a player back and she makes a big difference for that team. We just weren’t ready for their balanced attack.”
FIU breezed through the first two sets, hitting a combined .608 as a team. The Panthers used a 13-4 run to close out the first set and scored the first eight points of the second set en route to identical 25-12 scores.
The Jaguars battled in the third set and rallied from an early 6-3 deficit, using a kill from Jessica Lewis, an ace from Katariina Kananen and four FIU errors to take a 9-8 lead.
The two teams would not be separated by more than a point until the Panthers broke a 12-12 tie with a 4-0 spurt and then won eight of the next 13 to get within one of closing out the match at 24-17.
South Alabama got kills from Samia Salomao and Torlandria Jones and solo blocks from Jones and Juliana Almeida for four quick points, but a kill from Jovana Bjelica ended the match.
“In the third set we ran a different offense—we changed to a 6-2. Jennica Hagberg and Lea Thurm came in off the bench and did a nice job for us,” said Keshock. “They gave us what we were missing.”
Salomao led the Jags with eight kills, a .467 attack percentage and six digs. Jones added five kills with no errors and a solo block and two block assists.
Sabrina Gonzalez paced the FIU attack with 14 kills and a .778 hitting percentage, while Andrea Lakovic had 11 kills and four block assists.
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).
—USA—
