Box Score - South Alabama 3, Louisiana-Monroe 2 (.pdf)MONROE, La. – Mechell Daniel posted her team-leading eighth double-double of the season Friday night as the University of South Alabama volleyball team snapped a three-match Sun Belt Conference skid with a 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-13) over Louisiana-Monroe at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The Jaguars (10-11, 5-6 SBC) will now take on Arkansas State on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. Live stats and web streaming for the match versus Arkansas State will be available at www.USAJaguars.com and can be accessed on the Jaguar volleyball schedule page.
Along with Daniel, South Alabama placed three other players in double figures – Mallory Moore (16 kills), Jessica Lewis (15 kills) and Nikki Gittens (11 kills). Jaguar junior setter Emily Hundt posted her seventh double-double of the season with 60 assists and 10 digs of her own.
Senior libero Jenna Hassell also carded a new season-best with 26 digs as did Kelly Little with 14 off the USA bench. South Alabama held an 87-71 advantage in the dig category, and a 67-38 margin in assists. USA also had 73 kills compared to ULM's 44.
Louisiana-Monroe dropped to 7-17 on the season and 1-11 in the Sun Belt. Hope Pawlik was the lone Warhawk to end the night in double digits offensively, ending the evening with 12 kills. Pawlik also added 19 digs and two block assists. Hadley Swartz just missed double figures with nine kills. Marcela Araya paced ULM with 24 digs.
SET ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 20South Alabama opened up the match by capturing five of the first six points and later took and 8-3 lead following a Warhawk attack error. ULM answered right back with four unanswered points of its own to cut the USA advantage to one (8-7). The Jaguars though quickly regained control of the set and rattled off six of the next seven points and took a 14-8 advantage following Daniel's third kill of the frame.
The Jaguars later extended their lead out to 17-10 after a kill and a block by Gittens
Louisiana-Monroe made a late charge and narrowed the Jaguar lead to 23-20 after a pair of South Alabama attack errors, but the Jaguars were able to pick up the final two points of the set, the first coming on a kill by Daniel.
Moore and Daniel led USA offensively in the opening set with five kills apiece. Daniel had her five kills on seven attacks and didn't commit an attack error to finish the frame with a .714 hitting percentage. Moore hit .375 in the set.
SET TWO: LOUISIANA-MONROE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 20The Jags led by as much as four midway through the second set, but with USA holding a 12-8 advantage after a kill by Symone Stephenson, ULM began to battle back and tied the set up at 15-15 on a kill by Jennifer Hoffman. The Warhawks took the lead on the ensuing point when Bayleigh Hoffman dropped in an ace.
USA regained the lead at 19-18 on a Gitten's putaway, but Louisiana-Monroe closed out the frame by picking up seven of the final eight points to even the match at one set apiece. Pawlik ignited the set-winning rally with back-to-back kills and Hoffman capped it off and sealed the 25-20 win with a kill of her own.
South Alabama committed 13 attack errors in the frame and ULM posted nine total blocks – three solo and six assists. The attack errors by the Jaguars were the difference in the set as the Warhawks committed just three attack errors and had only seven kills.
SET THREE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 17South Alabama quickly regained the momentum in the match as it opened up the third set on a 6-0 run. From there, ULM never threatened as USA later pushed its lead out to 20-10 after a kill by Lewis, one of her five in the frame. Daniel later sealed the 25-17 victory for the Jags with a kill of her own.
Moore led USA offensively in the third set with six kills.
SET FOUR: LOUISIANA-MONROE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 19ULM evened up the match in the fourth set as the Warhawks captured a 25-19 win in the set.
Tied 7-7 early in the frame, Louisiana-Monroe extended its lead out to five with a 6-1 run. Alannah Cullum and Kalena Caruthers gave ULM the 13-8 advantage as the duo teamed up to block a Jaguar attack. USA had three attack errors and a serving error during the run.
From there, South Alabama got no closer than five the rest of the set as the Warhawks evened the match at 2-2 on an ace by Cullum.
Lewis paced USA with seven kills in the fourth frame. ULM's frontline again came up big, registering seven more total blocks.
SET FIVE: SOUTH ALABAMA 15, LOUISIANA-MONROE 13Riding the momentum of evening the match in the previous set, Louisiana-Monroe took the lead early in the fifth set. ULM led 7-4 after a kill by Hadley Swartz, but answered back with four of the next five points to tie the set up at 8-all.
With the set tied 12-12, Gittens recorded her gave the Jags the lead for good with her 11th kill of the night. Daniel later clinched the five-set win for South Alabama as the sophomore from Chelmsford, England, slammed home her 20th kill of the evening.
NOTES: South Alabama improved to 9-6 in the all-time series with the win over Louisiana-Monroe. USA has now won eight of the last nine meetings in the series and is 3-3 all-time in matches played in Monroe. The 60 assists and 10 digs by Emily Hundt versus the Warhawks marked her seventh double-double of the season. Mechell Daniel now has eight double-doubles after posting 20 kills and a season-high 19 digs. The 26 digs by Jenna Hassell were a new season-best for the senior. Sophomore outside hitter Mallory Moore tied a career-high with her 16 kills. Kelly Little also had a season-high 14 digs of the Jaguar bench.
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).
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