Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee Match Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – Winners in two of its last three matches, the University of South Alabama volleyball team will open a four-match home stand to close out the regular season this weekend when the Jaguars welcome Sun Belt Conference East Division leaders Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee to Jag Gym.  First serve versus the Lady Toppers is set for 7 p.m. on Friday at Jag Gym, while USA will take on the Blue Raiders on Sunday at noon.

“It is a tough weekend with us facing Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee who are tied for first in the division,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said.  “The positives for us though are that we are playing at home and we are playing well right now.  That’s what it’s going to be about.  Everyone knows that when our team is on, we play very, very well and we can compete with almost anyone in the conference.  When we don’t play our game, that’s when things start to fall apart.  Our success will be all about us being on our game this weekend.”

Live stats and live video for the match versus Troy can be accessed at www.usajaguars.com.

The Jaguars (9-15, 4-8 SBC) come into this weekend’s two contests fresh off a huge 3-1 road victory over Troy on Tuesday night.  Against the Trojans, South Alabama’s defensive front at the net came up big as it posted a season-best 16 total blocks.  USA also carded a season-high 28 block assists.

Freshmen Maureen Ros and Melissa Waelter also had a solid effort both offensively and defensively as the duo each recorded a third double-double.  Ros led the way in the victory over Troy with 15 kills and 12 dig, while Waelter was close behind her in both categories with 14 kills and 11 digs.  

Entering play this weekend, Walter leads the club with 214 kills and 2.58 kills per set.  Ros’ 197 kills are second most on the club, while her 2.35 kps is third-best.  

Senior outside hitter Samia Salomao is second on the club in kills per set with 2.39.  Salomao has seven double-doubles of her own this season.

Junior middle blocker Olivia Mohler is also averaging over two kills per frame, but the Vancleave, Miss., native has been big along the frontline.  She currently leads the club with 70 total blocks and is averaging 0.82 per set.  Against Troy, Mohler was a force, recording a season-high eight block assists.

Jaguar libero Jenna Hassell continues to anchor the back court as the sophomore ranks seventh in the conference with 3.65 digs per set.  As a club, USA is fourth in the Sun Belt in that category with 14.72.  

Western Kentucky enters the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the country as the Lady Toppers are 25-3 overall and 12-1 in the Sun Belt.  Since suffering its first and only conference loss to Middle Tennessee back on Oct. 4, WKU has won eight of its last nine matches.  The Toppers only other two losses this season have come against No. 13 Kentucky and No. 24 Cincinnati.

The Lady Toppers are currently tied with the Blue Raiders for the top spot in the Sun Belt’s East Division.  As a team, Western Kentucky leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (.140), kills (14.32) and assists (13.23), and ranks second in the SBC in hitting percentage (.267), aces (1.41) and digs (15.12).  Nationally, the Toppers rank 12th in kills and 16th in attack percentage.

 Individually, a number of players rank among the conference leaders in several statistical categories.  Leading the way is player of the year candidate Jordyn Skinner.  Skinner is fourth in kills (3.82), seventh in aces (0.28) and 10th in digs (3.43).  

Senior middle blocker Tiffany Elmore has also been solid this season.  Her .344 hitting percentage ranks third in the lead.  She also ranks fifth in the conference in blocks with 0.99.

Lindsay Williams (.313) and Paige Wessel (.306) also rank among the league leaders in hitting, coming in at eighth and 10th, respectively, in the SBC.  Topper setter Melanie Stutsman (10.99) leads the conference in assists and sophomore libero Ashley Potts is second in digs with 4.49 per set.

Middle Tennessee - who will play Troy on Friday night before heading to Mobile - comes into play this weekend with a 16-9 overall mark and a 12-1 record in the SBC.  Since dropping their conference opener, the Blue Raiders have since won 13 straight.

As a team, the MTSU leads the Sun Belt and ranks ninth in the NCAAs in attack percentage as the Blue Raiders are hitting .276.  Middle Tennessee also ranks second in the league blocks (2.4), kills (13.9) and assists (12.9).  MTSU is 36th nationally in the latter two categories.

Individually, the duo of Oylinlola Oladinni and Ashley Adams lead the club.  Oladinni’s .387 hitting percentage is second-best in the Sun Belt and 15th in the NCAA.  She also ranks fourth in the conference in blocks with 1.01 per set.  Adams is second in the SBC in kills (4.02) and sixth in hitting (.317)  

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 this weekend will mark the 44th between Western Kentucky and South Alabama. WKU holds a 35-9 lead all-time series. Dating back to 1989, USA has dropped 32 of the previous 34 meetings, including the last 23 - all but one of those in straight sets. South Alabama’s last win versus the Lady Toppers came back during the 1995 season when USA captured a 3-1 victory in Mobile. The meeting between Middle Tennessee and South Alabama this weekend will mark the 17th in the all-time series between the two clubs. Middle Tennessee holds a 15-0 record in the all-time series. 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 won nine of the last 10 meetings in straight sets.

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