South Alabama 3, Louisiana-Monroe 1 (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – For the first time since the 2001 season and just the second time in the program’s history, the University of South Alabama volleyball team improved to 2-0 on the young Sun Belt Conference season Saturday when the Jaguars picked up a 3-1 (18-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-13) victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Jag Gym.

“It’s important to get off to a good start in conference play and I’m extremely proud of the way our team played this weekend,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said.  “We have a good group of girls and they have the right type of mentality.”

South Alabama opened the 2001 season with a pair of 3-1 wins at New Orleans and at Arkansas State. 

“I was concern today with us coming off such a great win last night that w might start a little flat, which we did,” Keshock said.  “I’m proud that our team was able to come back and get the win.  It’s going to be so competitive in conference play and that’s what we are going to have to be able to do.  We had a game-plan early on that actually didn’t work against Louisiana-Monroe.  Our players were able to change that game-plan in the second and third set and that’s what I think made the difference.”

USA (7-7, 2-0 SBC) will now head out on the road for four straight league matches beginning with Arkansas State on Friday (Sept. 30).  First serve versus the Red Wolves is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

For the second-straight night, South Alabama received a balanced offensive effort as it again placed four players in double figures in kills.  Olivia Mohler led the way with 15 kills and committed just one attack error in her 28 attempts to finish with a .500 hitting percentage.  Coming off a strong performance on Friday, junior middle blocker Lea Thurm added a career-high 14 kills and a .462 hitting percentage.  Fellow middle blocker Melissa Waelter had 11 kills of her own.

“I’m so proud of our middle,” Keshock said.  “To just have them as an option as an offensive threat changes our whole offensive scheme.  Early in the season, we were relying a lot on our outside hitters, but now we have the option of both positions and I think that helps give us a balanced attack.”

Senior outside hitter Samia Salomao posted her team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 11 kills and a team-high 13 digs, while junior setter Katariiana Kananen chipped in a double-double of her own with 50 assists and 11 digs.

With the loss, ULM falls to 6-6 on the season and 0-2 in league play.  The loss also extends the Warhawks’ SBC losing streak to 83 matches. 

Louisiana-Monroe was paced offensively by Samantha Morse, who led all players with 17 kills and a .517 attack percentage.  Zuzana Markova had 16 kills and Bianca Osuana added 10. 

SET ONE: Louisiana-Monroe 25, South Alabama 18

With the Jags holding an early one-point advantage in the opening set, Louisiana-Monroe used a 7-1 spurt over the next eight points to jump out to a 9-4 lead.  Lacey Dietlin capped off the run and put the Warhawks up by five with an ace.  USA maintained the deficit around that margin for most of the remainder of the set.  Salomao trimmed the deficit to 21-16 with a kill, but South Alabama would get no closer as Samantha Morse sealed the 25-18 victory for ULM with one of her five kills in the set. 

Markova and Osuna also had five kills each in the frame for the Warhawks, while Thurm led USA with four. 

Louisiana-Monroe was extremely efficient in the first set, finishing with 17 kills on 37 attacks, while committing just four errors for a .351 percentage.  USA recorded a .211 in the frame.

SET TWO:  South Alabama 26, Louisiana-Monroe 24

Leading 14-13 in the second set, Morse continued to lead the offensive attack for the Warhawks as she recorded three-straight kills to stretch ULM’s lead out to 17-13.  Over the next several points, South Alabama began to chip away at the deficit as the Jaguars reeled off seven of the next nine points and retook the lead at 20-19 when Thurm took an over pass at the net and put the ball away to give USA the 20-19 advantage. 

ULM briefly retook the lead two points later after another Zuzana kill – one of her seven in the set – but led by Waelter and the Jags’ frontline defense, South Alabama pushed across three straight points of its own.  Waelter had two kills and Mohler and Maureen Ros combined for a block during the spurt.

USA set one point away from evening the set at 24-22 after a Warhawk ball-handling error, but Louisiana-Monroe recorded the next two points to even things back up at 24-24 on block assists from Morse and Alannah Cullum.

Coming out of a time out though, Mohler slammed home a kill and Salomao followed her with one of her own to give South Alabama the 26-24 second-set victory.

Both clubs were solid offensively as ULM and USA finished the frame with a .351 and .341 attack percentage, respectively.

SET THREE: South Alabama 35, Louisiana-Monroe 19

Coming out of the intermission, the Warhawks jumped out to a quick lead in the third set, recording six of the first eight points and led 10-4 after a Morse putaway.

Led by the play of Salomao and Thurm who had two kills each during USA’s next seven points, South Alabama would rally back and tie the contest.  The duo combined for a block assist to tie the set back up at 12-12.  After trading points, the Jaguars were able to take their first lead of the set after a kill from Ros and an ace from Salomao.

USA extended its lead out to three after a ULM attack error, but coming out of a time out, the Warhawks answered with three-straight points and tied things back up at 17-17 on a Markova ace. 

From there, South Alabama would close strong as the Jags ended the set on an 8-2 run to take the six-point victory.  Thurm clinched the 25-19 victory with her 13th kill of the match. 

In the third set, the Jaguars recorded a blistering .500 attack percentage, finishing the frame with 17 kills on 28 attacks and just three errors. Mohler, Salomao, and Thurm all finished with four kills in the set for the Jags.

SET FOUR: South Alabama 25, Louisiana-Monroe 13

In the final set, South Alabama came out and took control from the outset, beginning the frame on an 11-4 run.  Ros and Mohler gave USA the seven-point advantage when the duo combined to turn back a ULM attack.  South Alabama finished the match with 12 block assists. 

From there, the Warhawks could draw no closer as South Alabama cruised to the 25-13 fourth set win to take the match. 

USA hit over .300 for the second-straight set, posting a .333 (13-3-30) attack percentage, while ULM hit a .000 (6-6-27).

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 win, USA has now won five-straight in the all-time series and holds a 6-5 advantage.  The loss for ULM was its 83rd-straight Sun Belt Conference loss.  For the second match in a row, South Alabama placed four-players in double figures in kills.  The 14 kills by Lea Thurm were a new career high for the junior middle blocker.  Her .462 attack percentage was also a new career best.  The last time South Alabama began conference play 2-0 was back during the 2001 season when the Jags opened with a pair of 3-1 wins at New Orleans and at Arkansas State.  The 2001 season is the only other time South Alabama has been undefeated after the first two league matches.  The .340 attack percentage versus ULM marked the first time USA has hit over .300 in a Sun Belt match since the Jags hit a .306 at North Texas (Oct. 24, 2008).

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