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

STATESBORO, Ga. – Sophomore outside hitters Jessica Lewis and Mechell Daniel each carded double-doubles Friday evening, but it wasn't enough for the University of South Alabama volleyball team as the Jags fell 3-1 (20-25, 29-27, 17-25, 23-25) at Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Lewis led all players with a season-high 22 kills, while also tying a season best with 12 digs.  The Huntsville, Ala., native also had three block assists and hit a team-high .302.  The double-double was the second of the season and fourth of her career.

Daniel registered her 10th double-double of the season with 19 kills and 13 digs, while also posting three block assists.

Freshman setter Emma Anderson had a career-high 48 assists and nearly recorded a double-double of her own with eight digs.   Sarah Richardson paced USA with five block assists and Jenna Hassell had 17 digs.  With those 17 digs, Hassell passed former Jag Ninette Encalade for second-place on the Jaguars career chart.  Hassell now has 1,463 for her career.

The Jags (10-13, 5-8 SBC) will now return home to host Texas State on Sunday with first serve set for noon at Jag Gym.  Live stats and web streaming for the match versus the Bobcats will be available at www.USAJaguars.com and can be accessed on the Jaguar volleyball schedule page.  

Georgia Southern improved to 7-17 on the year and 6-8 in the Sun Belt with the win.  Jamie DeRatt led the Eagles with 19 kills and also recorded a double-double of her own with 10 digs.

Kym Coley and Megan Chevalier also added 12 kills apiece.  Coley had a .632 hitting percentage, posting her 12 kills on 19 attacks with no errors.

GSU setter Kat Minnerly added 53 assists and 14 digs.  Eagle libero Avery Stephens had a team-high 15 digs in the win.

Leah Joseph led the frontline for Georgia Southern with five block assists.  Minnerly also had four block assists of her own, while the Eagles had three solo blocks and 12 block assists in the match.

SET ONE: GEORGIA SOUTHERN 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 20
Led by the play of Daniel, South Alabama opened the match up by taking five of the first six points and then led 7-3 following another kill by Daniel.  The Chelmsford, England, native had four kills and a block assists during the early going for the Jags.

The Eagles came right back and quickly tied the contest back up at 9-9 on a kill by Leah Joseph.  DeRatt began the run with a put away, while Joseph and Minnerly combined twice to block a Jag attack.

Neither team was able to pull away over the remainder of the set until with the frame tied at 20-20, Coley and DeRatt pushed across five unanswered points to seal the 25-20 first-set win for Georgia Southern.

Daniel and DeRatt led their respective clubs with six kills each in the opening set.

SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 29, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 27
Leading 1-0 in the match, Georgia Southern got off to the quick start in the second set, beginning the frame on a 5-1 run.  Chevalier led the Eagle run with three kills.  

USA battled back and tied the set back up at 8-8 on a kill by Symone Stephenson, but GSU retook the lead on the next point and pushed its lead back out to three.

Trailing 18-15, the Jaguars fought back and tie the set back up at 18 following a kill by Daniel and a pair of Eagle attack errors.

Over the next several points, the two clubs battled back and forth exchanging the lead before eventually heading into extra points.

Georgia Southern held set point at 24-23 after a kill by Coley, but Nikki Gittens answered back with a put away of her own.  USA fought off another set point and eventually took a one-point lead of its own (26-25).  The two teams traded the next three points and with the frame tied at 27-27, USA was finally able to push across the final two points to even the match at a set a piece.  Lewis slammed home her fifth kill of the frame and then teamed up with Richardson for the block to clinch the 29-27 win.

Lewis had six kills in the frame, while Daniel had four.  Chevalier had eight of her 12 kills for the Eagles in the match during the second set and hit .636 in the frame.

South Alabama posted its best hitting percentage of the match in the third set with a .325 percentage.

SET THREE: GEORGIA SOUTHERN 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 17
Lewis posted a kill to give USA the first point in the third set, but the Jaguars committed four-straight attack errors to give GSU the momentum and the Eagles later took a 7-2 lead on a kill by Coley.

Georgia Southern extended its lead out to as much as nine (14-5) after block assists from Chevalier and Joseph and looked to be in control.  

Trailing 21-13, the Jaguars made a late rally attempt and reeled off four consecutive points, trimming the deficit to four (21-17) on block assists by Anderson and Richardson, but coming out of a time out, GSU closed out the set with four straight points of its own to take the 25-17 third-set win.

Minnerly sealed the eight-point win with an ace.

USA struggled offensively in the third frame committing nine attack errors and hitting .031.

SET FOUR: GEORGIA SOUTHERN 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 23
The Eagles opened up the final set by taking the first three-points and held the lead for a good portion of the frame.

Over the next several points, USA was able to cut the Georgia Southern lead to one on 12 occasions.  Lewis and Daniel helped the Jaguars hang around as they each had eight and six kills, respectively in the frame.

South Alabama finally tied the frame up at 22-22 on a GSU attack error and then grabbed its first lead of the set (23-22) on another Eagle error.

Coming out of a time out though, DeRatt tied the set back up with a kill.  Joseph and Minnerly then teamed up for a block and Coley clinched the set and the match with an ace.

NOTES:  With the loss, South Alabama falls to 0-5 in the all-time series with Georgia Southern.  Jessica Lewis led all players with a season-high 22 kills versus the Eagles, while also tying a season best with 12 digs.  The double-double was the second of the season and fourth of her career.  Fellow sophomore Mechell Daniel registered her 10th double-double of the season with 19 kills and 13 digs, while also posting three block assists.  It was also her third-straight double-double and sixth in Sun Belt Conference play.  Freshman setter Emma Anderson had a career-high 48 assists and nearly recorded a double-double of her own with eight digs.   The loss was the fifth in the last six matches for the Jaguars.  With her 17 digs, senior libero Jenna Hassell passed former Jag Ninette Encalade for second-place on the Jaguars career chart.  Hassell now has 1,463 for her career.

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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