Match Notes - Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will begin a stretch of four-straight matches on the road this weekend when the Jags travel to take on Sun Belt Conference East Division leaders Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky.

USA (10-17, 5-7 SBC) will open up the road swing at 7 p.m. against Middle Tennessee on Friday at Alumni Memorial Gym and then travel to Bowling Green, Ky., to face Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday  Live stats for both matches will be available at www.usajaguars.com.

The Jaguars enter the start of their road trip after picking up a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-18) sweep of Troy on Tuesday night.  On “Senior Night”, South Alabama’s four seniors came through in a big way in their final home match as they combined for 19 of USA’s 38 kills, 13 of the Jags’ 16 block assists and 12 digs.

“Winning in three against Troy, definitely showed that we stepped up our game,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said. “There were important moments and situations in that match that we have specifically been working on, such as when a team starts to challenge us, that we are able to remain calm and get the side out we need.  We had a couple of those moments in the first two sets.  We also were able to see some of our players fight through slow starts and come back and find a way to finish.  Those are important things for us as we head into the final stretch of the season.  Hopefully since we have worked those things out in a match, they will continue to happen.”

Leading the way in the win were senior outside hitter Juliana Almeida and junior outside hitter Samia Salomao who each had 12 kills apiece.  Almeida continues to lead the team with 3.05 kills per set and against the Trojans, eclipsed the 1,100 kill mark for her career.  Salomao has been just as valuable to the South Alabama’s success this season as she ranks second on the club with 2.58 kps and 3.44 dps.  She also has a team-best 13 double-doubles this season.

Freshman libero Jenna Hassell has been solid in the back court as she leads the team in digs with 3.66 per set.  As a team, the Jags continue to lead the Sun Belt with 16.2 dps. 

The Blue Raiders come into the match versus the Jags tied for the division lead with a 22-5 overall record and a 12-1 mark in the league.  Middle Tennessee’s lone conference loss of the season came three weeks ago at Florida International, the only defeat for MTSU in its last 20 matches.

Izabella Kozon continues to lead the club and rank among the SBC leaders with 4.09 kills per set.  She ranks first in the league in kills and 30th nationally.  Ashley Adams has also posted solid offensive numbers as the sophomore is averaging 3.36 kps - fifth-best in the conference.

As a team, MTSU ranks second in the Sun Belt and 13th nationally in hitting percentage.  The Blue Raiders have an attack percentage of .286 coming into the week.  They have been just as strong at the net as they rank 34th in the nation in blocks with 2.52 per set.

MTSU has completed dominated the series between the two clubs as they have won all 13 meetings.  The two teams have met three other times, but those wins had to be vacated by the Blue Raiders as a result of NCAA penalties. MTSU has also won eight of the last nine contests in straight-sets.

The Lady Toppers, the other team tied with MTSU for the division lead, enter the weekend with a 23-6 overall mark and a 12-1 record in the Sun Belt.  Western Kentucky has won eight of its last nine matches, with the lone loss during that stretch coming to Cincinnati who is currently ranked 21st in the latest AVCA poll.

WKU continues to lead a balanced offensive attack as four players are averaging at least 2.35 kills per set, led by junior middle blocker Tiffany Elmore’s 2.92 - ninth in the SBC.  Elmore also ranks 2nd in the league in blocks with 1.10 per set.

The Toppers have been extremely efficient at the offensive end as they are hitting a solid .294 - seventh in the NCAA.

WKU holds a huge advantage in the all-time series between the two clubs with a 33-9 lead in the previous 42 meetings.  Dating back to 1989, USA has dropped 24 of the previous 25 meetings, including the last 15.  WKU picked up a 3-0 win over the Jags earlier this season in Mobile.  South Alabama’s last win versus the Lady Toppers came back during the 1995 season when USA captured a 3-1 victory in Mobile. 

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).