Matches 22-23 - vs. Arkansas State - at Arkansas-Little Rock Match Notes (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's volleyball team will look to continue its strong recent play this weekend as the Jaguars will host Arkansas State on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Jag Gym and then travel to take on Arkansas-Little Rock on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center.

"Round two (of conference play) started last weekend and it's a new, fresh start for our team and we've set our own goals for the rest of the season," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  "As we move into this weekend, I think Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock are two teams who have done well in during the conference season, but they are two opponents that we played pretty well against earlier this season and give or take a few points, it could have fared in our favor. I feel they will both be good matches and it'll really be about who can put it together at the end and finish."

Live stats and video for both matches this weekend will be available at www.USAJaguars.com.

The Jaguars (9-12, 4-7 SBC) enter the conference weekend after picking up a pair of victories this past weekend, defeating Texas State, 3-2 and Louisiana-Lafayette, 3-1 both in Mobile.

After dropping its first five conference matches, South Alabama has played much better as of late, capturing wins in four the its last six versus league competition.  During that time, the Jags have been led by the offensive duo of Jessica Lewis and Mechell Daniel.  Lewis has averaged 3.68 kills per set, while Daniel has had 3.48.  Fellow freshman Mallory Moore has also been a scoring threat for the club, averaging 2.28 kps over that same stretch.

In fact, the trio has swept top freshman honors in the Sun Belt each of the last four weeks, Moore being the most recent recipient as she earned the honor on Monday.

Overall, Daniel ranks third in the SBC in both kills (3.65) and points (4.20), while also ranking fifth in the league in serving with 0.28 aces per set. She is second on the club in digs with 2.42 and seven of her eight double-doubles have come in conference play.

Like Daniel, Lewis also ranks among the Sun Belt leaders in kills and points, coming in at fifth in both categories.  She is averaging 3.33 kills per set, while also averaging 3.61 points.

Defensively, junior middle blocker Amber Wyatt has been a force at the net.  She currently ranks third in the SBC in blocks with 1.18 per set.  Versus conference foes, Wyatt has been even better, raising that average to 1.40 per set.  As a team, South Alabama is fifth in the league in blocks (1.91).

Arkansas State enters play this week sitting in fourth-place in the conference with an 11-15 overall record and a 6-5 mark in league play.  ASU has struggled as of later, dropping three of its last four matches, including a pair of 3-0 defeats to Texas-Arlington and Western Kentucky over the weekend.

Senior outside hitter Sadie Clark paces the club offensively as she ranks eighth in kills with 3.10 per set.  Clark is also ranked 10th in the Sun Belt in points with 3.32 per set.  She had 20 kills in the first meeting with the Jaguars this season.

Sarah Kemp and Kelsey Sullivan are also threats on the offensive side of the net as they are averaging 2.49 and 2.20 kills per set, respectively.  ASU setter Jackie Gerig is sixth in the conference in assists (8.70).

As a team, Arkansas State ranks fourth in the SBC in service aces with 1.18.  Kemp leads the club individually in that category with 24 aces and 0.26 per set - seventh in the league.  

Senior libero Megan Baska has been outstanding in the defensive back court as her 4.59 dps average is second-best in the conference.  She is approaching the 500-dig mark for the season as she currently has 450 entering this week's action.

ASU will host in-state rival Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday before heading to Mobile.

Arkansas-Little Rock comes into play this week ranked third in the Sun Belt conference, a game behind Texas-Arlington in second and two games back of Western Kentucky.  The Trojans are 16-7 overall and 8-3 in conference play coming into the week.  

Offensively, UALR is led by the dynamic duo of Edina Begic and Sonja Milanovic.  Begic - who was named the preseason player of the year - has lived up to her preseason billing as she has captured SBC Offensive Player of the Week honors six out of the nine times.  The junior outside hitter leads the league and ranks third in the nation in kills with 5.24 per set.  She is also tops in the conference and ranks second in the NCAA in points per set with 5.93 and ranks among the leaders in serving (3rd - 0.31) and hitting (5th - .305).

Begic had 31 kills in the first meeting between the Jaguars this season.

Milanovic also ranks among the Sun Belt leaders in several categories.  She is second in kills (3.88) and points (4.42) and eighth in aces (0.25).

As a team, the Trojans are second in hitting percentage (.249), kills (13.62), assists (12.91) and blocks (2.57).  UALR setter Marleen de Zoete is also second in the league in assists with 11.16 per set, while Carolee Dillard is second in blocks with 1.26.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

NOTES:  The meeting between Arkansas State and South Alabama this weekend will mark the 28th in the all-time series between the two clubs. ASU has dominated the series versus the Jags, holding a 24-3 advantage in those previous meeting. The Red Wolves have won seven of the last eight meetings.  The Jaguars last win over ASU came during the 2010 season, a 3-2 win in Mobile. South Alabama is 2-10 in the series in matches played in Mobile. The Red Wolves captured a 3-2 victory over South Alabama earlier this season in Jonesboro.  The meeting between Arkansas-Little Rock and South Alabama this weekend will mark the 28th in the all-time series between the two clubs. UALR holds a 24-3 advantage in the series.  Coming into Sunday's match versus the Jags, the Trojans have taken 24 of the previous 26 meetings, including a 3-1 victory in Mobile, earlier this season.  USA is 0-10 in the series in matches played in Little Rock.

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