Box Score - Arkanas-Little Rock 3, South Alabama 1 (.pdf)
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's volleyball team fought hard Friday night, but dropped a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-27) heartbreaker to Arkansas-Little Rock in the Jaguars' Sun Belt Conference opener at Jag Gym.
"Tonight was the first Sun Belt match and I believe our girls know they could have won this match tonight," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "It's a long conference season and one night doesn't define it. It's just a matter of can we respond and know what we need to do tomorrow and grow."
USA (5-6, 0-1 SBC) will take on Western Kentucky on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Lady Toppers (11-4, 1-0 SBC) were straight-set winners over Troy on Friday. Live stats and web streaming can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.
Led by Mechell Daniel's 20 kills, South Alabama placed three players in double figures offensively. The 20 kills tied a season-high for the Jag freshman and was her second-straight 20-kill match. Fellow freshman Mallory Moore registered the best match of her young career, carding 14 kills on 26 attacks and a .385 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Amber Wyatt also ended the night in double digits with a 10-kill effort. She also led USA at the net with four total blocks – one solo and three assists.
"We had good offensive performances from all three players tonight," Hendrichovsky said. "Mallory had a great night offensively for us. We've been working with her and tonight I thought she was able to perform the way we have been talking to her about. I'm proud of her for responding. This was the first match this season for Amber in the middle tonight. She really showed that she hadn't lost a beat and was able to do what we needed her to do throughout the match. Mechell's just going to continue to grow as the season progresses and people are going to be able to watch her grow into one of the top outside hitters in the Sun Belt Conference."
Jag setter Emily Hundt added 42 assists and 14 digs, while freshman libero Abby Baker posted a match-high 20 digs.
UALR improved to 9-4 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. The win extended the Trojans win streak to seven as they will now travel to take on Troy.
Defending Sun Belt Player of the Year Edina Begic led all players with 31 kills. The junior also hit .349 in her 63 attempts and tied with Kelsey Leech for top honors on the Trojan roster with 12 digs. Sonja Milanovic also chipped in with 13 kills of her own.
UALR had three players record at least three total blocks and as a team posted two solo blocks and 12 block assists.
SET ONE: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 23
The opening set remained close throughout with neither able to take more than a three-point lead on the other.
With USA holding an 18-15 advantage following a kill from Daniel – her fifth of the set – the Trojans responded with a 7-2 run over the next nine points to retake the lead. Begic, as she did the entire set, led the way for UALR as she had four kills and a block assists during the run. The reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week gave Arkansas-Little Rock a 22-20 advantage when she slammed home a kill. Begic was on fire during the first frame as she posted 11 kills on 19 attacks and committed just two attack errors for a .474 hitting percentage.
South Alabama pulled to within one three times down the stretch, but Milanovic finally sealed the 25-23 win with her third kill of the night.
UALR held a huge advantage on offense in the first set, outhitting USA .317 (19-6-41) to .186 (13-5-43). The 19 kills tied for the most by an opponent in a set versus the Jaguars this season. Jacksonville State had 19 kills in the second set in the match versus the Jags on Sept. 6.
The 11 kills by Begic in the first set were the most by an opposing player in a single set versus South Alabama this season. The previous mark had eight by Alabama's Krystal Rivers in the third set back on Sept. 14.
SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 18
South Alabama broke a 13-13 tie in the second set as the Jags pushed across three-straight points, but UALR came right back with two points of its own to trim the USA lead to 16-15 on a kill from Begic.
That was as close as UALR would get though the rest of the set, as South Alabama rattled off six unanswered points to take a 23-15 lead after a pair of Trojan attack errors. Wyatt – who had six kills in the set – and Deanna Canfield each recorded a pair of kills during the run for USA. Moore capped off the 25-18 win five points later with a kill of her own to even the match at one set apiece for the two clubs.
USA was outstanding on offense in the set, registering a .552 hitting percentage – it's highest percentage in a set this season – with 17 kills on 29 attacks and just one attack error. The attack percentage bested the previous high of .538 recorded against Tennessee State.
SET THREE: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 21
South Alabama held an 11-9 lead after a kill from Moore and back-to-back service aces from Daniel, but UALR answered right back by taking six of the next seven points, taking a 15-12 lead after a kill from Milanovic.
The Jaguar defense pulled USA to within two (19-17 when Wyatt and Kiki von Piekartz teamed up to turn back a Trojan attack, but Arkansas-Little Rock eventually stretched its lead back out and went on to take the set, 25-21 following a USA attack error.
SET FOUR: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 27, SOUTH ALABAMA 25
The Jaguars held the early momentum in the fourth set, taking five of the first seven points of the frame and leading by as much as five (8-3) after a kill from Canfield.
UALR began to battle back and slowly chip away at the South Alabama lead. The Trojan rally started with a string of four-straight points, three coming off Jag attack errors. Arkansas-Little Rock eventually tied the set up at 12-12 after block assists from Marleen de Zoete and Rachel Williams.
USA regained the lead on a UALR serving error and a Daniel kill on the next two points, but the Trojans wouldn't allow the Jaguars to stretch the lead out much further.
South Alabama held control over the next several points and set two points away from sending the match into a fifth set at 23-20 after a kill from Wyatt, but following a time out, the Trojans closed strong, picking up four-straight points of their own to sit one point away from taking the match. Milanovic led the charge, recording a solo block and a pair of kills, the last giving UALR a 24-23 advantage.
The Jaguars though grabbed the next two points after back-to-back kills from Canfield and Daniel and held a 25-24 lead, but UALR went on to take the final three points of the match – a kill from Begic, a solo block from Carolee Dillard and a kill from Milanovic, her seventh of the frame. Begic also had eight kills of her own in the final set.
Daniel paced South Alabama with five kills, while Stephenson added four.
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 loss to UALR snapped a string of three-match win streak in Sun Belt Conference openers. USA is now 7-17 all-time in those matches and 4-18 in home league openers. South Alabama also drops to 3-24 in the all-time series versus the Trojans. UALR has taken 24 of the last 26 meetings. South Alabama is 1-13 in the series in matches played in Mobile. The Jaguars added a new face to the roster on Friday as former women's basketball player Veronica Cherizol joined the club this week. USA also saw a pair of players return to the court as Kiki von Piekartz and Deanna Canfield returned to action. Von Piekartz had missed the last four matches for USA, while Canfield hadn't played since South Alabama's match versus Lipscomb back on Sept. 7. The 19 kills by UALR in the first set tied for the most by an opponent in a single-set versus the Jaguars this season. Jacksonville State had 19 kills in the second set in the match versus the Jags on Sept. 6. The 11 kills by UALR's Edina Begic in the first set were the most by an opposing player in a single set versus South Alabama this season. The previous mark had eight by Alabama's Krystal Rivers in the third set back on Sept. 14. The .552 hitting percentage was a new high in a set for the Jaguars and bested the previous high of .538 recorded against Tennessee State in the season opener.
—USA—
