Box Score - Valparaiso 3, South Alabama 1 (.pdf)
Box Score - Saint Louis 3, South Alabama 0 (.pdf)
ST. LOUIS – The University of South Alabama volleyball team dropped a pair of matches Saturday on the final day of the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by Saint Louis University at Chaifetz Pavillion. The Jaguars fell 3-1 to Valparaiso in its first match and then 3-0 to the host Billikens in the second match.
“I knew when I scheduled this tournament that it would be good, solid, fundamental volleyball and that these teams were going to push us to play at a high level,” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “We found out this weekend that we are able to play at a high level at times, but we weren’t able to do it the whole match this weekend. We need to play matches clean in order to win and we found out the things we need to work on in order to do that moving forward.”
USA will now return home and host Nicholls State on Tuesday in its home-opener. First serve versus the Colonels is set for 7 p.m. at Jag Gym.
MATCH ONE: Valparaiso 3, South Alabama 1
In its first match of the day, South Alabama opened up with a 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 16-25) loss to Valparaiso on Saturday.
Savannah Stewart led the Jaguars offensively with a career-high 18 kills. Stewart also posted 13 digs to give her her first career double-double. Melissa Waelter also chipped in with 12 kills. Along with Stewart, three other players finished the match with double-figure dig tallies, led by Jenna Hassell’s match-high 23. Katariina Kananen added 43 assists and 13 digs to give the senior her 17th double-double of her career. Emily Hundt also carded a season-high 11 digs in the loss.
Valparaiso was placed two players in double digits. Mary Dent paced the club with 12 kills, while Sarah Dooms had 10 kills and a team-high 19 digs. Morgan Beil, Ellen Vanden Berg and Janelle Hobbs also added nine kills apiece.
For the second-straight match, the defensive front for Valpo held a distinct advantage holding an 11-5.5 advantage in the category.
SET ONE: South Alabama 26, Valparaiso 24
Valparaiso held control for most of the opening set and led by as much as five. With the Crusaders holding a 19-14 advantage following a kill from Hobbs, USA mounted a charge and rattled off a 7-2 run over the next nine points. The Jaguar run was ignited by a kill and a block assists from Olivia Mohler. Torlandria Jones and Lindsay Schwartz capped off the scoring spurt and tied the set back up at 21-21 when the Jag duo turned back a Crusader attack.
Two points later, USA took its first lead of the frame after two more kills from Schwartz and another Valpo unforced error to put South Alabama one point away from completing the rally.
Coming out of a time out, VU’s Dent and Dooms – had five kills in the set – posted a kill each to force extra points. The Jaguars put the set away though two points later on a kill from Jones and a Crusader attack error, giving USA the 26-24 first-set victory.
South Alabama was very efficient on the offensive side of the net as the Jaguars recorded a .314 in the first frame. Mohler and Schwartz each had four kills, while Jones had three.
SET TWO: Valparaiso 25, South Alabama 20
Riding the momentum of the first-set win, USA took control and picked up the first two points of the frame and went on to lead by as much as four for much of the first portion of the set.
With the Jags holding a 12-8 advantage following a kill from Jones, it was Valparaiso that rallied back, reeling off seven-straight points, two coming on a pair of Dent kills. Kelsey Barrington gave the lead for good when the freshman setter dropped in a pair of aces. Dooms then capped off the string of unanswered points with another kill, giving the Crusaders a 15-12 lead.
Valparaiso would hold the lead the rest of the way and evened the match up at a set apiece with the 25-20 win.
SET THREE: Valparaiso 26, South Alabama 24
South Alabama got off to another quick start again in the third set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Waelter led the way early on as the sophomore had three of USA’s first six points – all kills.
Valparaiso would not go away and began chipping away at the Jaguar lead over the next several points. VU eventually took a 14-14 lead after a pair of Jag attack errors.
The two clubs exchanged the lead back-and-forth over the rest of the frame. With the contest tied at 24-24, the Crusaders were able to pick up the final two points after a Kelsey Victor kill and block assists from the VU junior and Biel.
SET FOUR: Valparaiso 25, South Alabama 16
In the fourth and final set, Savannah Stewart helped USA take a 9-6 lead as the Jag freshman outside hitter recorded three-straight kills. However, Valparaiso answered right back with 10 unanswered points and took the lead for good following a block from Victor – her second of the run. Dent’s back-to-back kills capped off the run and put the Crusaders out in front 16-9. Dent – who had five kills during the fourth set – clinched the match and gave VU the 25-16 win with another kill.
The Crusaders hit a .312 in the final set, while USA managed to record just a .059.
MATCH TWO: Saint Louis 3, South Alabama 0
In the night cap, Saint Louis picked up its second win of the tournament as the Jaguars dropped a 3-0 (20-25, 24-26, 19-25) decision.
With the loss, USA falls to 2-4 on the year, while Saint Louis improved to 2-4.
South Alabama was paced offensively by Schwartz, Mohler and Stewart who had six kills each. Hassell led all players with 15 digs in the back court.
Carly Marcum led the Billikens offensively with 12 kills, while Megan Gilbert added eight. As a team, SLU also had 18 block assists.
SET ONE: Saint Louis 25, South Alabama 20
The opening set was close for the first portion of the match as neither team was able to gain much of an advantage and trading the lead three times.
Leading by one (11-10), the Billikens pushed across three points to extend their lead out to four.
With SLU still leading by four at 19-15, Stewart sparked a Jaguar run with a pair of solo blocks. Jones then pulled USA within one (19-18) on the next point when the red shirt sophomore blasted a kill.
Following a time out though, Saint Louis’s Gilbert answered with back-to-back kills to stretch the lead back out to three. The Billikens would close out the set strong and pick up the 25-20 win.
USA didn’t help its cause in the first set as the Jaguars hit a .000 (8-8-36).
SET TWO: Saint Louis 26, South Alabama 24
Like the first set, neither club was able to jump out to a big lead over the first half of the second set.
Tied 10-10, SLU was able some separation as the Billikens captured six of the next seven points and took a 16-11 lead on an Anna Church ace.
USA began chipping away at the deficit and pulled within one (18-17) on a kill from Kanaen. The Jags tied the frame back up three points later on a kill from Stewart.
SLU again took a two point lead, but South Alabama kept battling and tied the frame back up 22-22 on an ace from Stewart. After a Billiken time out, USA’s Valerie Podczasy gave the Jaguars the lead with a kill of her own and USA set at match-point (24-22) after a Saint Louis attack error. The Billikens though would tie the contest back up two points later (24-24) and force extra points after a Marcum put away. Marcum had four kills in the set to lead SLU.
Saint Louis then pushed across two more points and clinched the 26-24 second-set victory on another ace from Church.
SET THREE: Saint Louis 25, South Alabama 19
In the third set, Saint Louis grabbed control from the start, jumping out to a 9-3 lead. SLU took the six-point advantage on an ace from Andrea Bolt – one of six in the match for the Billikens on the night.
Trailing 18-11, South Alabama mounted a rally and reeled off eight unanswered points and took a 19-18 lead after Mohler and Kananen teamed up for a block. Mohler also added a pair of kills during the USA run.
SLU answered right back though with a 7-0 run to retake the lead and close the set and the match, 25-19. Carly Schumacher sealed the win with a kill of her own.
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 three-straight losses for the Jags are a season-high…After moving into the top 10 of USA’s career digs list, Jenna Hassell continued to climb the chart on Saturday, moving into eight, passing former Jags Kim Courchesne and Marie Lirette…She now has 873…For her play at the Saint Louis tournament, Hassell was named to the all-tournament squad – her second honor this season...The junior libero averaged 4.91 dps…USA’s Olivia Mohler also moved into a top 10 career category, as senior middle blocker moved into a tie for 10th with Whitney Sanders on the block assists list…She now has 177 for her career.
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