Match Notes: Matches 23-24 (at Georgia Southern and vs. Texas State).pdfMOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will close out the month of October at Georgia Southern on Friday night and then return home to open November versus Texas State on Sunday. The match versus the Eagles on Friday is set for 5 p.m. (CT) at Hanner Fieldhouse, while first serve on Sunday against the Bobcats is set for noon at Jag Gym.
Live stats and web streaming for both matches will be available at www.USAJaguars.com and can be accessed on the Jaguar volleyball schedule page.
South Alabama (10-12, 5-7 SBC) comes into Sun Belt play this weekend tied with Georgia State for sixth in the conference standings and a half-match lead over Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia Southern.
The Jaguars spilt their two SBC matches this past weekend, defeating Louisiana-Monroe in five sets on Friday, but falling at Arkansas State in straight sets on Saturday.
USA is looking to get back on a hot streak as it has dropped four of its last five matches.
Mechell Daniel continues to lead the club offensively as she ranks sixth in the SBC in kills with 3.39 per set. Daniel has had a solid all-around game for the Jags this season as she ranks second on the club in digs (2.59 dps) and third in blocks with 34.
Daniel comes into Friday's match against the Eagles after a strong performance over the weekend. In her two matches versus ULM and ASU, Daniel averaged 4.25 kills per set and 4.25 digs per set, recording a double-double in each match. Daniel leads the team in that category with nine double-doubles on the year.
Fellow sophomore Jessica Lewis is also averaging three kills per set for the Jaguars this season. Lewis ranks 10th in the Sun Belt with 3.07 kills per set.
Jenna Hassell is also closing in on history as she wraps up her collegiate career at USA. Coming into play this week, Hassell has 1,446 digs for her career and is now just 63 behind the program's all-time leader Keturah Carter (1,509) and 23 behind Ninette Encalade (1,455) for second.
Along the frontline, middle blockers Nikki Gittens and Symone Stephenson pace the club with 51 and 44 total blocks, respectively.
Georgia Southern (6-17, 5-8 SBC) comes into action this week after falling to at both Texas-Arlington and Texas State this past weekend. Prior to the two losses, the Eagles had won four-straight matches which included a 3-1 over South Alabama earlier this month.
"Georgia Southern is in a similar position to us," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "With every opponent and it just comes down to who is making the plays at the end. We played them two weeks ago in a close match and since then they have been building some momentum. We have been practicing well and our team is focused on the task at hand."
Georgia Southern entered the season as a strong contender for the league title after winning 28 matches a year ago, but the Eagles got off to a slow start, dropping their first 12 matches to begin the year.
The Eagles are led offensively by the duo of Jamie DeRatt and Kym Cooley. DeRatt leads the club and ranks seventh in the SBC in kills with 3.35 per set. Cooley is averaging just under three kills per set at 2.85, and her .375 hitting percentage is second-highest in the league coming into play this week.
Both DeRatt and Cooley were selected preseason all-conference prior to the start of the year.
GSU freshman Cathrine Murray and Megan Chevalier have each played well as of late and had solid matches versus the Jags in the first meeting this season. Murray had 13 kills versus USA, while Chevalier had 12 kills and hit .458 in the match.
Junior setter Kat Minnerly is one of the top players in the Sun Belt at her position. Minnerly currently ranks third with 10.40 assists per set.
Leah Joseph is fifth in the Sun Belt in blocks with 1.03 per set. Joseph led the club in that category in the first meeting with South Alabama, registering a match-high six block assists. The Eagle frontline was instrumental in leading GSU to the 3-1 win over the Jags as they recorded 23 total blocks.
As a team, Georgia Southern ranks fourth in the conference in blocks.
Texas State (15-10, 10-3 SBC) enters play this week tied with Texas-Arlington for second in the latest Sun Belt standings. TSU split its two league matches over the weekend, falling 3-1 at Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday, but defeating Georgia Southern 3-0 on Saturday.
"Texas State is a solid team that plays disciplined volleyball and forces you to earn each point. We played them early in the conference season and didn't compete very well. They are playing well and we know we will need to execute on our side of the net and take care of the things we can control.
The Bobcats will travel to Louisiana-Lafayette for a Friday night contest before heading to Mobile to take on the Jags on Sunday.
Five players are currently averaging two kills per set or better for the Bobcats. Leading the way offensively for Texas State is Lauren Kirch, a 6-2 freshman middle blocker. Kirch leads the team with 263 kills and is averaging 2.77 kps. Kirch is also tied with Amanda Watkins for top honors at the net with 72 blocks.
Close behind Kirch is Kelsey Weynand (2.68 kps) and Shelby Vas Matt (2.62 kps).
As a team, Texas State leads the Sun Belt in kills (13.86), assists (13.20) and ranks third in digs (17.04) and fourth in blocks (1.70). The Bobcats also rank among the national leaders in several categories. TSU is 18th in digs per set, 19th in assists per set and 33rd in kills per set. Texas State's 1,344 kills are fourth most in the NCAA and its 1,653 digs are 10th most in the nation.
NOTES: The match versus the Eagles on Friday night will mark the fifth in the brief all-time series with the Jags. Georgia Southern has won all four of the previous meetings, including a 3-1 win over USA in Mobile earlier this season. The match versus the Bobcats on Sunday will be just the fourth in the all-time series versus the Jags. Last season, the two clubs split their two meetings with each winning in five sets on its home floor. The Bobcats picked up a 3-0 win over South Alabama earlier this season in San Marcos. USA is 1-0 in the series in Mobile, defeating TSU 3-2 last 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).
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