Box Score - UALR 3, South Alabama (.pdf)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Senior opposite side hitter Lindsey Schwartz tied a career-high with 17 kills Friday evening, but it wasn’t enough as the University of South Alabama volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (23-25, 21-25, 25-12, 19-25) decision to Sun Belt Conference West Division leader UALR Friday evening at the Jack Stephens Center.  

USA (10-9, 3-2 SBC) will now take on the Red Wolves on Sunday at the Convocation Center with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m.  Live stats can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.

Schwartz was also very efficient on the offensive side of the net, posting a .394 hitting percentage.  Fellow senior Olivia Mohler also had a solid night recording 14 kills on 26 attempts for a .538 percentage.  The Jaguar middle blocker also added four block assists to mover her into 10th place on the program’s career chart.  Torlandria Jones added eight kills.

“I thought Lindsey (Schwartz), Olivia (Mohler) and ‘Dri’ (Torlandria Jones) each put together a nice match for us tonight,” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  “We had a few more unforced errors that weren’t because of being aggressive.  It was just the little plays that we let get away from us and (UALR) was able to capitalize on them.  As a team, we need to find a way to make that one extra play or give that extra effort in order to take that next step.”

Melissa Waelter had 11 kills for South Alabama as well and senior setter Katariina Kananen posted her sixth double-double of the season with 45 assists and 14 digs.  Savannah Stewart led USA in the back court with 15 digs of her own.

With the win, UALR moves to 5-0 in the Sun Belt and 9-8 overall.  The Trojans were paced offensively by Edina Begic’s 16 kills.  Adisa Hodzic (13) and Eva Xie (12) also ended the night in double digits offensively.  Emily Pepperman led all players with 16 digs.

SET ONE: UALR 25, South Alabama 23
The Jaguars trailed by as much as three early on in the first set, but following a kill from Torlandria Jones and a pair of Trojan attack errors, USA grabbed a 9-8 lead.  

Over the next several points, the two clubs exchanged the lead a couple of times with neither team able to take more than a one-point on the other.  However, with South Alabama holding a 14-13 lead, UALR pushed across five of the next six points to retake the lead at 18-15.  Xie had three kills during the Trojan run.

Coming out of a time out, South Alabama responded with three-straight points and tied the frame back up (18-18) following a block assists from Jones and Kananen.  

Still tied two points later at 19-19, UALR reeled off four straight points to take a 23-19 lead following a Sawyer Schaedig kill.  

USA would not go away though and trimmed the deficit to one on two occasions, the last coming at 24-23, led by three kills from Schwartz.  

Begic though sealed the 25-23 win for the Trojans with her sixth kill of the set.

Schwartz led the way for the Jags with four kills, while Mohler, Waelter and Jones had three apiece.

SET TWO: UALR 25, South Alabama 21
In the second set, USA jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead, but over the next 10 points, UALR recorded eight of them and took a four-point lead (9-4) on a Pepperman ace.

With UALR holding a 16-11 advantage, South Alabama began to attempt to rally back.  The Jaguars were able to get as close as two, twice, the last coming at 22-20 on Schwartz’s sixth kill of the set.

USA would get no closer though as Hodzic gave the Trojans the 25-21 second-set victory with her sixth kill of the night.

SET THREE: South Alabama 25, UALR 12
Trailing two sets to none, South Alabama turned to Mohler – who had four kills during the Jaguars’ first seven points – and took a 7-4 lead early in the third set.

Still leading by three (10-7), USA broke the third set open as the Jags erupted for a 10-1 run.  Waelter – who had four kills during the scoring spurt for South Alabama – gave the Jags an 11-point advantage (18-7) and capped off the scoring with her fourth kill of the run.  

USA went on to trim the match deficit to one with the 25-12 third-set win.

The Jaguars posted their best offensive performance of the night in the third set, registering a .484 hitting percentage.  USA had 16 kills on 31 attacks, while committing just one error.  Schwartz and Mohler had five kills each in the set, while Waelter had four.

SET FOUR: UALR 25, South Alabama 19    
USA led 3-2 at the start of the fourth set, but UALR took advantage of some Jaguar miscues and rattled off six-straight points to take a 9-3 lead.  Begic’s solo block game the Trojans the five-point advantage.

The Jaguars kept battling and twice cut the deficit to two, the last coming at 19-17 when Mohler and Stewart teamed up to turn back a Trojan attack.  

UALR didn’t let South Alabama get any closer though and closed the match by picking up six of the final eight points to pick up the 25-19 victory.  Begic gave the Trojans the six-point win with her 16th kill of the match.

Begic finished strong, recording six kills in the final set.

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, South Alabama falls to 3-23 all-time to UALR in the series.  The Trojans have now won 23 of the last 25 meetings.  USA is 0-10 in matches played in Little Rock in the series.  The 17 kills by USA’s Lindsay Schwartz tied a career high for the senior.  Schwartz also moved to within two block assists of Keturah Carter for third on South Alabama’s career list.  She has 244 for her career.  With her four block assists, senior middle blocker Olivia Mohler moved past former Jag Ninette Encalade into 10th on South Alabama total blocks list.  She now has 241 for her career.
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