MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's volleyball team will continue its current road swing with a midweek trip to Jackson State on Tuesday night. First serve versus the Tigers is set for 7p.m. at T.B. Ellis Gymnasium.
There will not be live stats for the match, but video is available via the web free of charge on the Jaguar volleyball schedule page at www.USAJaguars.com.
USA (4-5) comes into the contest versus the Tigers after posting a 2-1 record at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash over the weekend. South Alabama picked up 3-1 wins over Tennessee-Martin and Nicholls State and fell to tourney host Alabama, 3-1, on Saturday.
"I think our players took some steps forward this past weekend," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "I'm just looking for them to continue to move forward as a team no matter who's on the other side of the net. Jackson State did go to the NCAA tournament last year and has had some success in their conference. They'll be a good team for us to face at this time point of the season."
One of the main reasons for the Jaguars' solid play over the weekend was because of 6-3 outside/opposite side hitter Mechell Daniel. Daniel led South Alabama offensively with 54 kills and 4.50 kills per set in USA's three matches. She also had six aces, 33 digs (2.75 dps) and eight block assists, while hitting .268 and had 64.0 points. For her efforts she was named to the all-tournament squad and selected as the Sun Belt's Freshman of the week on Monday.
Daniel's honor marks just the second time in the program's history that South Alabama has had two players earn a weekly award from the conference. The last time USA did so was back during the 1995 season when Tonia Hatfield and Beverly Ferren were each selected as the Sun Belt's Player of the Week.
Daniel is averaging 3.06 kills per set, which ranks sixth in the latest Sun Belt rankings. Daniel is also among the league leaders in aces (0.39 – sixth) and points (3.70 – fifth). The Chelmsford, England, native has led USA four times in kills and over the course of the last three matches as put up 18, 19 and 17 kills, respectively. Daniel also recorded her first career double-double over the weekend versus Nicholls State where she had 19 kills and 17 digs.
Sophomore middle blocker Nikki Gittens also had a strong showing at the Bama tourney. She is now averaging 2.00 kills per set and is hitting .274. Fellow middle blocker Symone Stephenson is currently tied for eighth in the league with Texas-Arlington's Ashley Bennett with a .303 hitting percentage. Stephenson leads the club with 27 total blocks and is averaging 0.82 per set.
As a team, the Jaguars are third in the conference in digs with 15.09 per set.
Jackson State enters Tuesday night's affair with a 1-10 mark this season. The Tigers have lost their last four outings and been swept in each of those matches. USA will be JSU's fourth Sun Belt foe this season as it is 1-2 versus the league. Jackson State's lone win came in five sets versus Louisiana-Monroe back on Sept. 7. Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy are the other two SBC opponents to face JSU this season, each defeating the Tigers 3-0.
Despite the slow start, Jackson State has been one of the top programs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference the past few seasons. Last season, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA tournament and finished 24-12, capturing both the conference's regular season and tournament titles.
JSU is led offensively by Paige William's 72 kills. The 6-2 senior middle blocker is averaging 2.00 kills per set and is second on the club with 32 blocks (0.89 per set). Fellow middle blocker Mikayla Rolle is second on the Tigers squad with 1.81 kills per set and leads the team at the net with 34 blocks for a 0.94 bps average. Rolle is also tied for sixth in the SWAC in hitting percentage at .231.
As a team, Jackson State leads the SWAC in blocks with 1.97 per set and ranks third in service aces with 1.17. Jenna Siddiqui not only leads JSU with 0.33 aces per set, but the sophomore is also second in the league in that category.
The Tigers are averaging just 8.63kills per set, while their opponents are at 13.78 per set entering the week. JSU opponents have also recorded 88 service aces this season.
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 Jackson State and South Alabama this week will be the 13th in the all-time series. USA holds a 10-2 advantage in the series. Last season, JSU posted its first win in the series since the 1979 season, defeating USA 3-2 in Mobile, to snap a 10-match win streak in the series by t he Jags. South Alabama holds a 54-8 all-time record versus current Southwestern Athletic Conference members. Texas Southern is the lone league member that USA has never faced.
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