Box Score - South Alabama 3, Troy 1 (.pdf)

TROY, Ala. – University of South Alabama freshman opposite side/outside hitter Mechell Daniel recorded a career-high 28 kills to help the Jaguar volleyball team capture a 3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 27-25) Sun Belt Conference road victory Wednesday evening at Trojan Arena.  

"Mechell had a phenomenal match tonight," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  "She was hitting .600 after the first set and just saw the court really well.  She was able to see the block and find the holes, and was definitely reliable on the offensive end for us tonight.

"Our team is growing and learning how to stay composed.  I think the main thing is they're starting to believe in one another and it's showing on the court."

Daniel finished the match with a .400 attack percentage (28-4-60) and also added eight digs and two block assists.  The 28 kills by Daniel were the second-most ever by a Jaguar in a four-set match.  The 28 kills were also the most since Selena Chidester's 29 kills versus Troy back on Sept. 4, 2001.  That tally also tied for sixth-most by a player in the league this season.  

USA (11-13, 6-8 SBC) will now return to Jag Gym for its final two home matches of the season.  The Jaguars will take on Texas-Arlington on Friday at 4 p.m. and then face Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Live stats and video for both matches will be available at www.USAJaguars.com.  

Jessica Lewis and Mallory Moore also ended the match in double digits with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.  

Junior middle blocker Amber Wyatt recorded her second double-figure block tally this season with 10 blocks – two solo and eight assists.  Moore set a career-high with nine block assists.  As a team, South Alabama had 14.0 total blocks – three solo and 22 assists.  Troy recorded just 3.0 total blocks – six block assists – in the match.

Abby Baker had 16 digs, while Jag setter Emily Hundt had 10 to go along with her 28 assists – her 10th double-double of the season.

Led by Daniel, USA hit .290 (61-19-145) in the match, while Troy hit .221 (64-28-163).

Blair Winston paced the Trojans with 19 kills, while Marija Zelenovic chipped in with 14 and Kiah Cheatham added 12.  Cheatham also hit .304 in the match.  

Trojan setter Alexandra Alexander had 51 assists and a team-high 16 digs.  

SET ONE: TROY 26, SOUTH ALABMA 24
The opening set remained close through the first 20 points of the match as neither team was able to lead by more than one.  With the set tied 10-10 following a kill from Troy's Zelenovic, USA was able to push across four-straight points to gain some breathing room.  Daniel began the run with a kill and then teamed up with Symone Stephenson three points later to block a Trojan attack and give the Jaguars a 14-10 lead.

With South Alabama still leading by four (16-12) after a kill from Lewis, the Trojans began to battle back and pulled to within one at 17-16 after kills from Cheatham and Winston.  Daniel halted the Troy run for the moment with back-to-back kills and slammed home her eighth two points later to give USA a 20-17 advantage.

Once again though, the Trojans came right back, reeling off six of the next seven points and grabbed a 23-21 lead of its own aver a pair of kills from Zelenovic and a block assists from Kayla Pickart and Cheatham.

Following a Jaguar time out, Daniel and Lewis brought USA right back with a kill each, but in extra points, Troy was able to pick up the 26-24 first-set win after kills from Pickart and Winston.

Daniel led all players during the first set as she recorded nine kills on 14 attacks and committed no errors for a .643 hitting percentage.

Troy, which hit .349 as a team in the set, used a balanced attack as Winston had five kills and Cheatham, Zelenovic and Darby Griff each recorded four kills apiece in the frame.

SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, TROY 21
In the second set, South Alabama grabbed the momentum early.  Leading by one at 3-2, the Jaguars used an 11-3 run over the next 14 points to take a nine-point advantage (14-9).  Daniel once again sparked the offense for the Jaguars as she recorded four more kills during the run.

Troy answered back with four-straight points to narrow the deficit to five, but USA quickly pushed the lead back out to 18-10 after another kill from Daniel and back-to-back put aways by Mallory Moore.  

The Trojans kept battling back and eventually trimmed South Alabama's lead to 21-20 on a Jag attack error.  The Troy rally began with a run of five unanswered points.  Cheatham had three kills during the run.

That was as close as the host team would get though as USA closed out the set by picking up four of the final five points.  Moore and Wyatt ended the frame like the duo began the set as they teamed up to turn back a Trojan attack and clinch the 25-21 win.  The Jags' first two points of the second set came on block assists by Moore and Wyatt.

South Alabama held Troy to a .026 (11-10-38) hitting percentage in the set.

SET THREE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, TROY 23
Troy led by as much as three early in the third set, but trailing 8-5, South Alabama reeled off four consecutive points and took a 9-8 lead after a kill by Moore.  The Jaguars later stretched its lead out to 16-13 following two more kills by Daniel and a Trojan attack error.  

The Trojans kept hanging around and pulled within on (20-19) on Winston's fifth kill of the frame, but USA extended its lead back out to 23-19 after a block assists from Stephenson and Moore.  The Jags later sat at set point (24-21) after Daniel's fifth kill of the set, but Zelenovic registered two-straight kills of her own for Troy to trim the South Alabama lead to 24-23.  However, USA picked up the set (25-23) on the next point on a kill by Stephenson.  

SET FOUR: SOUTH ALABAMA 27, TROY 25
Troy led by three, three times early in the fourth and final set, the last coming at 10-7.  Trailing by three, the Jaguars used an 8-2 run over the next 10 points to retake the lead.  Moore and Wyatt had three block assists during the South Alabama run, while Daniel also added three kills, including two for the final two points of the run to give USA a 15-12 lead.

The Trojans answered right back with an 8-2 run of their own to jump back out in front 20-17.  Zelenovic and Winston each had two kills for Troy during the scoring spurt.

Following a time out, the Jaguars responded with three points to tie the set back up at 20-20.  Lewis posted one of her three kills in the set and Moore and Wyatt again teamed up for a block – one of their five in the set and eight in the match.

Troy looked as if it were going to send the match into a fifth set as the Trojans sat one point away from taking the set, but Daniel – who had nine kills in the set for the second time in the match – slammed home back-to-back-to-back kills to clinch the match for the Jaguars (27-25).  

Daniel had her nine kills on 18 attacks and committed just one attack error for a .444 hitting percentage.

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:  South Alabama improves to 38-24 in the all-time series versus the Trojans and 15-11 in matches played in Troy.  The 28 kills by USA's Mechell Daniel were a new career high for the freshman and were the second-most ever by a Jaguar in a four-set match.  The 28 kills were also the most since Selena Chidester's 29 kills versus Troy back on Sept. 4, 2001.  The nine block assists by Mallory Moore was a new career-best for the Jag freshman.  Moore and junior middle blocker Amber Wyatt combined to block eight Trojan attacks.  The 20 kills by Troy in the first set were the most by an opponent in a set versus the Jags, eclipsing the previous mark of 19, which was set three times, the most recent by Western Kentucky (9/28) in the first set.

—USA—