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Box Score - South Alabama 3, Florida International 0 (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – Sophomore outside hitter Melissa Waelter posted her third double-double of the season with 15 kills and 13 digs and the University of South Alabama volleyball team captured a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-16) victory over fellow Sun Belt East Division rival Florida International Sunday afternoon at Jag Gym.

“I thought today was a great match for us,” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  “We played a lot cleaner and had a lot better performance than we did Friday night.  We played really well this weekend.  We talked about being above average coming into the weekend and doing the things to get us above that mark.  Our players were really able to step up and do that for us today.”

USA (10-8, 3-1 SBC) will travel to the state of Arkansas for a pair of matches next weekend, beginning with West Division leader UALR, who is currently 4-0 in the conference.  First serve is set for 7 p.m. on Friday evening at the Jack Stephens Center.  

The 3-1 conference record is the best start to league play for the Jags since the 2010 season when USA also began with three wins in their first four SBC matches.

Along with Waelter’s double-double, Savannah Stewart also carded her 10th double-figure kill match with 11 kills.  Lindsay Schwartz chipped with eight kills of her own and a .353 hitting percentage, while Olivia Mohler and Torlandria Jones each had five kills apiece.  Jones (.556) and Mohler (.364) also had solid hitting percentages, while Mohler led the way with four block assists.  

“Melissa and Savannah definitely stepped up for us today not only from an offensive standpoint, but their passing as well.  The both had a really good all-around match,” Hendrichovsky noted.  “’Kata’ (Katariina Kananen) ran a really nice offense for us today.  Lindsay, Olive and ‘Dri’ also had a good day for us.  We talk about being balanced and we were pretty balanced today.”

True freshman Emily Hundt had 11 digs of her own and a career-high four service aces.

FIU falls to 4-12 on the season and 1-3 in the conference with the loss.  The Panthers were paced by Marija Prsa’s eight kills and Renele Forde’s seven kills.  

USA held a distinct advantage in the attack percentage category finishing with a .308 – its third-best percentage of the season.  The Panthers managed to hit a .155.

SET ONE: South Alabama 25, Florida International 15
The opening set was tight early on as nether club was able to garner more than a one-point advantage.  With the frame tied 7-7, South Alabama was able to grab the lead for good as the Jaguars erupted on a 10-1 run over the next 11 points.  Waelter led the way offensively during the scoring spurt, posting three of her five first-set kills.  

South Alabama’s Hundt later sealed the 25-15 win for the Jags with back-to-back service aces.

USA was solid offensively, posting a .300 attack percentage with 14 kills on 30 attacks and just five errors.  FIU struggled on the offensive side of the net, registering a .000 (7-7-26)

SET TWO: South Alabama 25, Florida International 22
Riding the momentum of the first-set victory, South Alabama came out on fire in the second frame, jumping out to a 10-2 lead on another ace from Hundt.  FIU grabbed the first point of the set and USA then went on to take 10 of the next 11 to grab the eight-point advantage.  

The Jaguars looked to be in control of the set, but aided by some offensive miscues, the Panthes began to chip away at the South Alabama lead and eventually got a close as two on a couple of occasions, the last coming at 24-22 after a Jaguar attack error.  Schwartz though clinched the set for USA on the next point as the senior slammed home a kill to give South Alabama the 25-22 win.

Waelter was again outstanding in the frame, posting six more kills and seven digs.

SET THREE: South Alabama 25, Florida International 16
Leading two sets to none in the match, South Alabama took control from the start of the third set, reeling off five of the first six points, including the first four of the frame.  The duo of Stewart and Jones paced the club early as Stewart registered three-straight kills during the run, while Jones added two of her own.  

The Jaguar defense later helped USA break the set open and extend its lead to 13-4 when Katariina Kananen and Mohler teamed up to turn back two straight Panther attacks.  From there, South Alabama cruised to the 25-16 third-set win.

South Alabama posted its best offensive numbers of the match in the final frame, recording a.316 percentage with 17 kills on 38 attempts and just five errors.   

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 .308 hitting percentage by the Jaguars versus FIU was the third-best for the club this season.  USA is now 6-2 in three-set matches this season.  The 3-0 victory over Florida International by the Jaguars on Sunday marked the since 1999 that USA has won two-straight matches over the Panthers in the series and the first time since 1998 that the Jags have swept FIU in a match.  It is also just the third time in 29 meetings that USA has done so.  South Alabama is now 6-21-1 in the all-time series and 3-8 in matches played in Mobile.  With her 15 kills and 13 digs, sophomore outside hitter Melissa Waelter has now recorded three double-doubles this season and seven for her career.  She has now led USA offensively in three of her last four matches.  The 13 digs also tied a season-high for Waelter. The 11 kill performance for Savannah Stewart also marked the 10th time the Jaguar freshman has posted a double-digit kill tally.  With her four block assists versus the Panthers, senior middle blocker Olivia Mohler is now just three total blocks away from cracking the top 10 on the Jaguars’ career list.  The 3-1 start to conference play is the first since USA began the 2010 league schedule with that mark.  

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