Springhill Suites Invitational Notes

STATESBORO, Ga. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will travel to Statesboro, Ga., this weekend to compete at the Springhill Suites Invitational hosted by Georgia Southern.  USA will open tournament action on Thursday night when it takes on the host Eagles at 6 p.m. (CT) at Hanner Fieldhouse.  The Jags will have a pair of matches on Friday – vs. Winthrop and East Tennessee State – before taking on Charleston Southern on Saturday.

Live stats for all four of the Jags’ matches at the Springhill Suites Invitational can be accessed for free at www.usajaguars.com.   Every match of the tournament is scheduled to be web cast and fans can watch those matches online by purchasing a one month subscription to Georgia Southern’s Eagle Vision for $9.95 at www.georgiasoutherneagles.com.

Admission at the GSU tournament is $5 for adults and $1 for children ages 3-12. Children under the age of 3 are admitted free.  A tournament pass is also available for $12.

The Jags (5-6) enter the Georgia Southern tournament this weekend on a bit of a hot streak, winning four of their last five matches.  On Tuesday night, South Alabama picked up its first true road victory with a 3-0 win at Southeastern Louisiana.

“One thing that we are going to focus on this weekend is trying to build on what we have accomplished so far this season,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said.  “We are really starting to play as a team.  Lately, we have stressed to the team that before we can identify the players who will lead us in crucial moments in a match, that we first have to develop as a team.  In our last four matches, we have really started to see that.  Our team offense and defense have gotten better during that time and we’ve seen different players pick up their game.  We have relied on different players at different moments and we are just functioning better as a team.  We will be challenged this weekend, but I think if we are able to keep our focus on that, we should play well.”

Senior outside hitter Juliana Almeida continues to lead the club in kills with 3.48 per set. Almeida isn’t the only weapon for USA though as Samia Salomao (2.53 kps), Olivia Mohler (2.23 kps) and Jessica Lewis (2.15 kps) have also paced the offense at times this season.

In the defensive back court, Salomao paces the club with 3.67 digs-per-set, while senior libero Kari Frazier is close behind her at 3.50.  Freshman defensive specialist Jenna Hassell is coming off her best performance of the season after posting a career-high 18 digs against the Lions. 

The Eagles, Thursday’s opponent for USA, come into their home tournament with a 4-6 mark thus far this season.  Last weekend, Georgia Southern fell 3-1 to both N.C. State and Morehead State at the NC State Tournament, but did manage to pick up a 3-0 victory over Mercer on Saturday.

Junior outside hitter Bethany Sanford has been tearing it up this season as she leads the team in kills with 136 to go along with her 3.78 kills-per-set average.  Parker Small (2.55 kps) and Hannah Nelson (2.26 kps) have also been solid.

 Winthrop enters the weekend with a 2-7 record.  Last weekend, the Eagles faced stiff competition, but dropped all three of their matches at the Kansas Invitational, falling to the Jayhawks, No. 18 Northern Iowa and SBC member UALR.  Winthrop does hold a victory over SEC foe South Carolina.

Senior Kaley Viola leads the club on offense through the first nine matches.  The outside hitter from Orlando, Fla., is averaging 3.11 kills-per-set.  On the defensive side, Kelsey Harrison and Viola anchor the back court.  As a team, Winthrop is averaging 15.67 digs-per-set, which ranks among the leaders in the Big South Conference.

East Tennessee State enters tournament action with a 6-4 mark this season.  Over the weekend, the Bucs picked up a pair of 3-1 victories over UNC Greensboro and UNC Asheville, but fell 3-1 to Austin Peay.  Despite the loss, ETSU has won five of its last six.

The Bucs have used a balanced offensive attack this season with four players averaging over two kills a set.  Senior outside hitter Desiree Dyck leads the club in that category with 2.85 kps.  Megan Devine comes in at 2.38 kps, while Alysa Long and Erin Ryan are each averaging 2.13 kps.

Junior libero Kiley Tamblyn anchors the back court with 3.97 digs-per-set, while Long has been a force at the net, averaging 1.28 blocks.

USA’s second Big South foe, Charleston Southern, comes into action this week after splitting its four matches this past weekend at the Best Western Invitational, hosted by North Florida.  The Lady Buccaneers dropped their first two matches of the tournament to Illinois-Chicago and Sun Belt member Troy, but bounced back to gain a pair of wins on Saturday, defeating the host Ospreys and Chattanooga.

Amanda Hill has posted stellar numbers in 2010, as she is just two kill away from reaching the 200 kill mark after just 10 matches.  The senior outside hitter is averaging 4.95 kills-per-set – third-best in the nation – and is hitting .273.  She is also been just as solid on defense, averaging a team-best 3.90 dps.

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).

NOTES:  The meeting between South Alabama and Georgia Southern this weekend will be the first in the all-time series between the two programs.  Against current members of the Southern Conference, South Alabama holds an all-time record of 17-15.  USA last faced an opponent from the Southern Conference back during the 2008 season, when the Jags competed at the Country Inn & Suites Challenge in Chattanooga, Tenn.  USA fell 3-2 at the tournament to the host Mocs.  South Alabama and Winthrop have never met, while Charleston Southern and the Jags have met just three times between the programs.  Charleston Southern holds a 2-1 advantage in the series with the last meeting coming during the 2005 season when the Buccaneers picked up a 3-2 victory in Charleston, S.C.  Against current members of the Big South Conference, South Alabama holds an all-time record of 6-3.  USA is 0-1 this season against the Big South this season, falling 3-0 to UNC Asheville on Sept. 3.  South Alabama and East Tennessee State will meet for the first time at the Springhill Suites Invitational.  The Jags hold a 20-25-1 all-time record against current Atlantic Sun members.  During the opening weekend of the season, USA dropped a 3-0 decision to Kennesaw State at the Southern Miss Invitational.