Match Notes - at Arkansas State and at Louisiana-Monroe (.pdf)
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's volleyball team will head out on the road for three-straight Sun Belt Conference road matches, beginning with Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe this weekend.
First serve versus the Red Wolves on Friday is set for 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available for the match versus ASU at www.USAJaguars.com. USA will also take on the Warhawks on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Live stats will be available for that contest.
The Jaguars (5-8, 0-3 SBC) come into the weekend looking to snap a three-match skid. On Wednesday, South Alabama fell 3-0 to in-state rival Troy in Mobile, dropping all three sets 26-24. USA was one point away from taking each of the first two sets, only to see the Trojans come back and take the set. With the loss, USA has now dropped four of its last five matches.
Freshman outside/opposite side hitter Mechell Daniel continues to be the offensive leader of late. Entering the Jags' match on Friday, Daniel ranks third in the Sun Belt in kills (3.70) and points (4.27) and is tied for second in serving with 0.35 aces per set. She is also hitting .248 thus far this season.
Daniel has recorded 17 or more kills in five of USA's last seven matches and in South Alabama's three SBC matches, Daniel is averaging 4.90 kills per set.
A pair of freshmen pace the club defensively. Middle blocker Symone Stephenson leads USA with 37 total blocks, a 0.80 bps average, while libero Abby Baker ranks 10th in the Sun Belt with 3.39 per set.
For most of the season, one weakness for the Jaguars has been their blocking as they averaged 1.42 during the non-conference portion of their schedule. However, during its first three conference matches, USA has averaged 2.40 per set. Against Troy, South Alabama had its best performance of the season at the net with 12.0 blocks - one solo and 22 assists.
Arkansas State enters Sun Belt play this weekend with a 6-11 overall mark and a 2-1 record in the conference. ASU picked up a pair of victories over Georgia State and Troy last weekend, but fell 3-1 to Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday night in Little Rock.
"There are challenges going on the road, just as much as there are challenges playing at home. It's just a matter of how you look," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "Last weekend, Arkansas State was able to win two very close matches and take two victories at home. I anticipate them having confidence when they play us at home. We're going to have to be ready to overtake that."
The Red Wolves and the Jaguars have four common non-conference opponents this season - Georgia Southern, UT-Martin, Alabama and Nicholls State. USA was 2-2 versus the four opponents, while ASU was also 2-2.
Senior outside hitter Sadie Clark leads the team offensively with 192 kills and is averaging 3.00 kills per set, which ranks sixth in the conference. Kelsey Sullivan and Sarah Kemp are also threats offensively as they are averaging 2.37 and 2.36 kps, respectively. Sullivan also leads the club at the net with 55 total blocks and the senior middle blocker is hitting .306 - seventh-best in the SBC.
Kelsey Reis is also having a solid season at the net, as she is right behind Sullivan with 54 blocks. Reis is tied with Eliza Zachary of Georgia State for eighth in the league with a .306 hitting percentage.
Sophomore libero Megan Baska ranks third in the Sun Belt with 4.32 digs per set.
The Red Wolves also rank as one of the top serving teams in the conference, entering the weekend ranked third in that category with 1.34 aces per set. Kemp paces the club individually in serving with 21 aces (0.34), which is fourth-best amongst the Sun Belt.
Louisiana-Monroe (4-15, 0-3 SBC) is comes into play this weekend like the Jags still in search of its first SBC win of the season. ULM will host Arkansas-Little Rock on Friday night, before taking on USA.
"Our conference top to bottom is better this season," Hendrichovsky said. (Louisiana-Monroe) is a team that a few years ago wasn't quite as strong, but they've improved each year over the course of the last two to three seasons. I believe they are going to play well. For us, we just have to take care of the ball on our side of the net."
The Warhawks have lost five-straight after falling in straight sets at Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday. ULM has also dropped six of its last seven coming into the match versus UALR. USA and ULM have one common opponent this season - Jackson State. The Jaguars defeated JSU 3-0 on the road two weeks ago, while the Warhawks fell 3-1 to the Tigers a month ago.
Hadley Swartz (2.41) and Bianca Ocana (2.26) lead Louisiana-Monroe offensively. In her first three conference matches this season, Ocana has averaged 3.40 kills per set.
As a team, ULM is averaging just 10.8 kills per set and hitting .128 versus its opponents, while the opposition is hitting .231 against the club. The Warhawks also rank 10th in the Sun Belt in blocking with 1.38 per set.
Louisiana-Monroe's Marcela Araya has been solid in the defensive back courts. The junior libero is second in the league in digs with a 4.42 dps average. Last week, Araya was selected as the Sun Belt's Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 5.43 digs per set during the opening weekend of conference action.
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 27th in the all-time series between the two clubs. ASU has dominated the series versus the Jags, holding a 23-3 advantage in those previous meeting. The Red Wolves have won six of the last seven meetings. The Jaguars last win over ASU came during the 2010 season, a 3-2 win in Mobile. Last season, the Red Wolves captured a 3-0 victory over USA at the Convocation Center. South Alabama is 1-11 in the series in matches played in Jonesboro. The lone road win in the series for the Jags came back during the 2001 season. The meeting between Louisiana-Monroe and South Alabama this weekend will mark the 13th in the all-time series between the two clubs. USA holds a slim 7-5 advantage in the series, but the Lady Jags have won six straight, including a 3-2 win over the Warhawks in Mobile. USA is 2-2 in the series in matches played in Monroe, La.
—USA—
