Florida International 3, South Alabama 0 (.pdf)

MIAMI –The University of South Alabama volleyball team posted one of its best conference offensive performances of the season Sunday afternoon, but Florida International hit a .404 en route to picking up a 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20) sweep of the Jaguars at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

USA (8-15, 3-8 SBC) will now head to in-state rival Troy for its final road match of the season on Tuesday night.  First serve for the Jags and the Trojans is set for 7 p.m.  With the win, Florida International improves to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in league play.

The Jaguars’ .246 attack percentage was the highest by the club since the opening weekend of conference play.  USA placed two players in double figures on the offensive side of the net.  Melissa Waelter led the way with 13 kills and a .393 attack percentage, while Olivia Mohler was close behind her with 12 kills and a .417 hitting percentage.  Jaguar setter Katariina Kananen recorded her team-best ninth double-double of the season with 36 assists and 10 digs.

Florida International was paced offensively by Jovana Bjelica’s match-high 20 kills.  Bjelica had her 20 kills on 42 attacks, while committing just two attack errors for a .429.  Sabrina Gonzalez also added 10 kills of her own.

One key stat from the match was in the blocking department where, FIU’s frontline held a 13-2 block assists advantage over the Jags.   

SET ONE: Florida International 25, South Alabama 23

FIU led by as much as three at 8-5 early on in the first set after a kill from Silvia Carli.  Over the next few points, the Jags though would answer right back with a 6-2 run over the next eight points.  USA tied the set up at 10-10 after a kill from Lea Thurm and on the next point took an 11-10 lead – their first since the opening point of the match – on a kill from Mohler.  

The South Alabama lead would be short-lived as the Panthers answered right back with five unanswered points of their own to retake the lead at 15-11 after a Jaguar attack error.  

USA began would not roll over and began chipping away at the deficit.  Maureen Ros started the comeback effort with a put away and later out South Alabama back out in front (19-18) with one of her six kills in the frame.

The two clubs exchanged the next several points, but with the set tied at 23-23, USA would commit two-straight attack errors to give FIU the two-point victory, 25-23.   

Bjelica had seven kills in the first set, while Mohler and Ros each had six.

SET TWO: Florida International 25, South Alabama 20

The second set stayed close with neither team able to take more than a two-point lead on the other, until with USA holding an 11-10 advantage, the Panthers were able to push across three consecutive points and take the lead for good.  Sabrina Gonzalez’ kill tied the frame up at 11-11, and then Bjelica slammed home a pair of kills to give Florida International the lead.

Bjelica later gave FIU its largest lead of the set at 24-17 with another kill.  The freshman later sealed the 25-20 win with her nine kill of the second set.

SET THREE: Florida International 25, South Alabama 20

In the third set, Florida International broke an early 4-4 tie with a run of four unanswered points.  Carli ignited the spurt with a put away and after two Jaguar miscues, Gonzalez capped off the scoring spurt with a kill of her own.  

Still trailing by four later in the set, USA was able to trim the deficit to one at 13-12 following two kills from Waelter and a put away from Mohler.  The Panthers didn’t allow the Jags to get any closer the rest of the way as they pushed across four of the next five points and extended their lead back out to 16-13 on a block assists from Andrea Lakovic and Carli.

South Alabama would keep the deficit around that margin for the remainder of the match, but Lakovic clinched the 25-20 victory for FIU with a kill.

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: With the loss, USA now drops to 4-21-1 in the all-time series versus Florida International.  The Jags are also 2-11 in matches played in Miami.  FIU has also won 13-straight in the series.  The .404 attack percentage by Florida International was the highest allowed by South Alabama to an opponent this season.  The previous high surrendered by the Jags came in the season-opener to Central Florida when USA surrendered a .379 to the Knights.

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