Box Score - South Alabama 3, Nicholls State 0 (.pdf)

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MOBILE, Ala. – Behind freshman outside hitter Savannah Stewart’s match-high 11 kills, the University of South Alabama volleyball team picked up a 3-0 (28-26, 25-11, 25-17) sweep over Nicholls State Tuesday evening  in the Jags’ home opener at Jag Gym.

“With it being our first home match, you could kind of tell that we kind of came out a little too pumped up and making more errors than we really needed too,” Hendrichovsky said.  “Once we kind of settled in and played our game, we were kind of able to grab momentum back.  Our players did a good job tonight.”

Stewart also finished the match with a season-high .529 hitting percentage, committing just one error on 19 attempts.  The Ladera Ranch, Calif., native also added a pair of aces.

Lindsay Schwartz and Meghan Miller also chipped in with seven kills apiece.  Emily Hundt carded a season-high 17 assists in the Jaguar victory.

“I think Savannah (Stewart) and Meghan (Miller) definitely offensively had a great day,” Hendrichovsky said of the two freshmen’s performances against Nicholls State.  “Savannah really passed the ball well too.  The one you wouldn’t really recognize was Emily (Hundt).  I thought Emily (Hundt) had a very good night.  This was her first time to really set in a match for us and she did a great job of running our offense and kind of propelled us with her serve as well.”

On the defensive side of the floor, senior middle blocker Olivia Mohler posted a match-high five block assists, while junior libero Jenna Hassell added 13 digs.

Nicholls State’s Jasmine Harris paced the club with eight kills and a .353 hitting percentage, while Jennifer Brandt registered seven kills as well.  

South Alabama (3-4) will head to Atlanta, Ga. to compete in its third tournament of the season at the Georgia State Invitational.  The Jags will take on Mercer on Fri., Sept. 7 in the opening round at 4 p.m. (CT).  Nicholls State falls to 1-4 on the year with the loss.

SET ONE: South Alabama 28, Nicholls State 26
Nicholls State led by three early on (7-4) after a Sarah Terry kill and a pair of Jaguar attack errors, but behind the play of Stewart. USA was able to pull within one (8-7).  The freshman would go on to post a team-best six kills during the set.

The Colonels answered back with a run of their own to gain some breathing room and extend their advantage out to 15-9.  During the NSU run, Jessica Addicks and Brandt led the way with two kills apiece.  

USA kept battling over the next several points and trailing by five (18-13) following a pair of Harris put aways, the Jaguars stringed together a 9-2 run over the next 11 points and retook the lead 22-20 after kills from Miller and Torlandria Jones.  

NSU would come right back and tie the set back up two points later and take a 23-22 lead when Addicks and Brandt teamed up to turn back a Jaguar attack.  The two clubs tied the set back up one point later and eventually sent the frame into extra points.  South Alabama broke a 26-26 tie and picked up the set to take the early advantage.  Schwartz – who also had four kills in the set – blasted a shot down the line and Mohler sealed the two-point victory for the Jaguars with a kill of her own.  

One of the key stats for the Jags in aiding the comeback was in the dig department.  As a team, USA registered 25 digs in the first set, led by nine from Hassell.  

SET TWO: South Alabama 25, Nicholls State 11
Riding the momentum from the first-set win, South Alabama came out on fire in the second, opening up the frame with a 7-1 spurt.  Mohler and Schwartz highlighted the Jag run when the duo teamed up for a block assists.  Stewart then capped off the scoring and gave South Alabama the six-point advantage with her seventh kill of the night.

From there, USA controlled the rest of the frame and after back-to-back block assists from Mohler and Miller, took its largest lead of the set at 24-9.  Mohler later clinched the 25-11 victory with her fourth kill of the evening.

South Alabama posted a blistering .632 hitting percentage in the second set, recording 13 kills on 19 attacks, while committing just one error.  The Colonels on the other hand struggled offensively with a (-.045).  

SET THREE: South Alabama 25, Nicholls State 17
Like the previous set, South Alabama took control early, beginning the third set on a 9-3 run.  Senior outside hitter Valerie Podczasy gave USA the six-point lead with one of her four kills. The Colonels aided the Jaguar run with six unforced errors – five attacks and one serving.

South Alabama would later stretch the lead out to seven on a few occasions, but Nicholls took advantage of some more Jaguar errors and trimmed the deficit to three (18-15) after a kill from Harris.  However, that would be as close as the Colonels would get the rest of the way.  Following a bad NSU set, freshman Deanna Canfield came off the bench and recorded back-to-back kills to continue a run of five unanswered points for the Jags.  The front line defense for USA capped off the scoring and extended the lead back out when Mohler and Miller again combined to give South Alabama a 22-15 lead.  Miller later finished off the match with her season-best seventh kill of the night.  Miller also finished the evening with a .429 hitting percentage and three block assists.

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 improves to 18-14 in the all-time series and snaps a three-match losing streak to the Colonels…The .632 hitting percentage in the second set was a season-best for the Jags…With her five block assists, USA’s Olivia Mohler moved into a tie for ninth on the program’s career block assists chart with former Jag Selena Chidester..She now has 182 for her career…Jenna Hassell also continued to climb a career list, as she moved into seventh on the Jaguar’s career dig list…She now has 886 for her career…The seven-kills for Meghan Miller were a new season-best for the freshman.

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