Box Score - Georgia Southern 3, South Alabama 1 (.pdf)

STATESBORO, Ga. – After missing the previous five matches due to injury, sophomore Melissa Waelter posted her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs in her return Thursday night, but the University of South Alabama volleyball team could not overcome costly errors as the Jags fell 3-1 (17-25, 23-25, 25, 21, 19-25) Georgia Southern in the opening match of the Springhill Suites Invitational held at Hanner Fieldhouse.

“We just made too many errors at inopportune times and that was the story of the match tonight,” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  “We are trying to get ourselves to play to win on a daily basis no matter who is on the other side of the net and hopefully we will bring that mindset the rest of the weekend.”

The Jaguars (5-6) will also take on Jacksonville on Friday at 4 p.m. (CT) and then return for a pair of matches on Saturday  - vs. Savannah State (11 a.m. CT) and versus Wisconsin (4 p.m. (CT).  Live stats can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.  

Along with Waelter, freshman outside hitter Savannah Stewart also posted her fourth-straight double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs of her own.   Torlandria Jones chipped in with nine kills and a season-high seven blocks (one solo and six assists), while Jenna Hassell added a team-high 20 digs.

Georgia Southern (7-4) was paced offensively by Kym Coley’s 12 kills and Meredith Paskert’s 10.  Alexander Beecher finished with 20 digs.

SET ONE: Georgia Southern 25, South Alabama 17
Georgia Southern jumped out to as much as a three-point lead early on, but USA was able to battle back and tie the set up, 10-10, after a kill from Lindsay Schwartz and a solo block from Jones.

With the set later tied at 13-13, the host Eagles put together a 6-1 run over the next seven points to take the lead for good.  The scoring spurt was started on a solo block from Kym Coely.  USA didn’t help its self during the GSU run as the Jaguars committed four attack errors.  

The offensive struggles would prove costly for the remainder of the set, as South Alabama ended the frame with 12 unforced errors – nine attack errors and three serving errors.  With the attack errors, the Jaguars would finish the first set with a -.029 hitting percentage.

Georgia Southern would go on to take the early match lead with the 25-17 first-set victory.

SET TWO: Georgia Southern 25, South Alabama 23
The second set was close throughout with neither team able to take more than a two-point advantage in the set.  The set would go on to feature 16 ties and five lead changes.

With the set tied 19-19, GSU was able to push across a pair of points and held that two-point advantage over the next several points.  With the Eagles still up 23-21, Stewart and Waelter slammed home a kill each to knot the set back up.  Waelter was on fire in the set, posting seven kills and a .429 hitting percentage.  As a team, South Alabama was much better in the second set, finishing a .312 percentage.

Georgia Southern responded to the Jaguar charge and picked up the final two points to take the set, 25-23.

Coley had five kills in set for Georgia Southern and the Eagles recorded a .324.

SET THREE: South Alabama 25, Georgia Southern 21
Trailing two sets to one, South Alabama broke a 4-4 tie early in the third with a 6-1 run.  Schwartz began the scoring and Hassell later capped off the Jaguar run with an ace – one of two for the Jaguars during the scoring spurt – to put USA out in front 10-5.  

Following a GSU time out, the Eagles quickly tied the set back up at 11-11 with a 6-1 run of their own.  Katalin Minnerly capped off the GSU scoring with an ace.

Neither team was able to pull away from the other over the next several points.  With the Eagles leading, 21-20, the Jaguars came charging back and closed strong, finishing off the set with five-straight points.  Jones began the run with another kill, but Stewart was the main offensive threat, adding three more kills, her last clinching the set (25-21) and trimming the match deficit to 2-1.

SET FOUR: Georgia Southern 25, South Alabama 19
In the fourth and final set with the two clubs tied 7-7, GSU broke the set open with a 6-1 run over the next seven points.  Coley ignited the scoring for the Eagles with a kill and following a pair of Jaguar attack errors, Georgia Southern led by five (13-8).

South Alabama would get as close as three (16-13) later in the set after block assists from Waelter and Jones, but they would draw no closer over the remainder of the set.  

Kate Van Dyke’s fourth kill later gave GSU the 25-19 fourth-set victory to seal the match win for the Eagles.   Van Dyke also end the night with 39 assists and 12 digs.

USA’s offensive struggles once again proved costly as the Jaguars hit a -.026 in the 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: South Alabama falls to 0-2 in the all-time series with Georgia Southern and 17-18 versus Southern Conference opponents…With her 11 kills and 13 digs, USA’s Savannah Stewart has now recorded four-straight double-doubles and five on the season…With her 20 digs, Jaguar libero Jenna Hassell is just 19 digs shy of eclipsing the 1,000 dig mark for her career…The nine kills for Torlandria Jones tied a season-best, while the seven blocks were a new season-high.

-- USA --