Box Score - South Alabama 3, Middle Tennessee 2 (.pdf)
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Behind sophomore outside hitter Melissa Waelter’s career-high 19 kills and nine digs, the University of South Alabama volleyball team captured its first-ever win over Middle Tennessee Thursday evening with a thrilling 3-2 (25-18, 19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13) victory in both teams’ Sun Belt Conference opener at Alumni Memorial Gym.
“Melissa (Waelter) definitely came through for us tonight with her serving, passing and all-around offensive game,” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “Our team came out focused and started the match out strong. We were faced with some adversity, but found a way to respond and fight.”
USA (8-7, 1-0 SBC) will continue Sun Belt Conference action this weekend when the Jaguars travel to take on 24th-ranked Western Kentucky at 1 p.m. at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Along with Waelter, Jaguar middle blocker Torlandria Jones also registered double figures with a season-high 11 kills, while also hitting .381. Savannah Stewart just missed out on a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs. The freshman also ended the match with a season-high four blocks – one block solo and three block assists.
True freshman Emily Hundt came in and was solid registering a career-high 29 assists seven digs.
“Emily is a competitor,” Hendrichovsky added. “She stayed within our system and allowed our attackers to be successful.”
Senior middle blocker Olivia Mohler also added six kills and five block assists, while Jenna Hassell led the way with 14 digs.
The eight service aces by the Jaguars were two shy of a season best. Waelter led the club in that category with four, while Jones added two.
The Blue Raiders (3-13, 0-1 SBC) dropped their 10-straight match with the loss. MTSU was led offensively by Ashley Adams’ 19 kills. Three other Blue Raiders – Chelsea Ross (12), Tyler Richardson (11) and Katie Bange (10) – also finished the match in double figures. Richardson posted a match-high eight block assists for Middle Tennessee.
MTSU setter Shelby Anderton ended the evening with 51 assists and six digs.
SET ONE: South Alabama 25, Middle Tennessee 18
Middle Tennessee got off to a quick start in the opening set, picking up the first three points of the match on kills from Bange and Richardson. The duo also combined for a block. The lead was short-lived though as South Alabama responded with three-straight points of its own and tied the set back up on an ace from Waelter.
Over the next several points, neither team was able to pull away from the other. With the two clubs tied at 11-11, the Jags were able to grab control with four-straight points and take a 15-11 lead. The run was highlighted by a pair of aces from Jones.
The Blue Raiders trimmed the deficit to 15-13 two points later after a Jaguar attack error, but South Alabama answered back with seven of the next eight points to put the set away, taking a 22-14 lead.
USA later captured the 25-18 first-set victory following a kill from Waelter – her fourth of the match. Bange, Ross and Adams each had three kills apiece to lead the way for Middle Tennessee.
SET TWO: Middle Tennessee 25, South Alabama 19
In the second set, South Alabama maintained control of the match early on, jumping out to a 9-2 lead. Waelter again spurred on the offense for USA with a kill and a pair of aces. Stewart capped off the early run and game the Jags the seven-point lead with a kill of her own.
With South Alabama holding a 13-9 advantage following another kill from Waelter, the Blue Raiders erupted on a 10-0 run to retake the lead. Ross had three aces during the run for MTSU, while Richardson and Adams each had two kills apiece. Richardson also added a pair of block assists.
The Jags attempted to rally back and trimmed the deficit to three on a couple of occasions, the last coming at 20-17 on a kill from Jones, but USA would get no closer as the Blue Raiders later evened the match at a set apiece on Bange’s sixth kill.
Adams led MTSU in the set with five kills and a .455 hitting percentage. As a team, the Blue Raiders hit .393 in the second set. Jones and Stewart had four kills apiece for USA.
SET THREE: Middle Tennessee 25, South Alabama 18
Middle Tennessee led by as much as three early on. Jones narrowed the Jag deficit to two (10-8) with a kill, but the Blue Raiders put the set away as they pushed across five of the next seven points, the last coming on an ace from Richardson, to give Middle Tennessee a 15-10 lead.
USA kept battling over the next several points and trimmed the deficit to three on two occasions, the last coming at 18-15 after another Waelter put away. The Jags would get no closer the rest of the set though as the Blue Raiders went on to pick up the 25-18 win in the third set.
Middle Tennessee continued its strong offensive showing, hitting over .300 for the second-straight set.
SET FOUR: South Alabama 25, Middle Tennessee 18
The Blue Raiders led 3-1 to start the fourth set, but the Jags took advantage of four MTSU attack errors and reeled off six unanswered points. Waelter dropped in one of her four aces of the night to give South Alabama a four-point lead. Jones also added a pair of kills in the run.
Mohler later stretched USA’s advantage out to 11-6 with a kill, but the Blue Raiders rallied back with a 5-1 run over the next six points to pull within one (12-11) after back-to-back kills from Adams. MTSU committed a serving error on the next point and could not pull even.
Middle Tennessee again pulled within one at 16-15 on a Brandi Waller block, but USA ended the threat and took a 19-15 lead when Stewart slammed home a kill. Waelter later sealed the 25-18 set victory with her 15th put away of the match.
After hitting just a .033 in the previous set, USA bounced back to record a .310 attack percentage in the fourth.
SET FIVE: South Alabama 15, Middle Tennessee 13
South Alabama broke an early tie in the fifth and final set with four-straight points and grabbed a 7-3 lead following a kill from Stewart.
Trailing by four two points later, Middle Tennessee trimmed the Jaguar lead to one (8-7) after an attack error from USA, but coming out of a time out, South Alabama pushed across two more points to extend the lead back out to three.
The Blue Raiders again cut the deficit to one (10-9) , but Waelter slammed home two more kills and Lindsay Schwartz added another to put the Jags back out in front 13-9.
Middle Tennessee would not go away though and once again pulled within one at 13-12 after a kill from Adams, an ace from Richardson and a bad set from USA, but following a Jaguar time out, Schwartz and Jones teamed up to turn back an attack from MTSU. Two points later, South Alabama picked up the 15-13 fifth-set victory following an attack error from Adams.
The Jaguar defense was solid in the final frame, holding Middle Tennessee to a -.053.
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 five-set victory for South Alabama over Middle Tennessee was the first-ever for the Jaguars over the Blue Raiders snapping a 0-for-17 streak. USA is now 6-16 in Sun Belt openers, having won three-straight. The Jags are also 5-14 in SBC road openers. With her five block assists versus Middle Tennessee, senior middle blocker Olivia Mohler moved into sixth place on USA’s career block assists chart as she now has 206 for her career. The loss for MTSU was its 10th straight this season. The win over Middle Tennessee also marked the first time this season that USA has won a match in which its opponent had a better hitting percentage. The Jags had been 0-7 in those matches prior to Thursday night.
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