Box score - Arkansas-Little Rock 3, South Alabama 0 (.pdf)LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell in straight sets 3-0 (17-25, 17-25, 18-25) at Sun Belt Conference regular season champion Arkansas-Little Rock on Sunday at the Jack Stephens Center. The win was the 20th-straight for the Trojans.
The Jags (11-17, 6-12 SBC) will now return home to close out the regular season with matches versus Louisiana Monroe on Friday (Nov. 21) and Troy on Saturday (Nov. 22). First serve for both matches is set for 6 p.m. at Jag Gym.
Sophomore outside hitters Mechell Daniel and Jessica Lewis led South Alabama offensively in the loss. Daniel had 11 kills in the defeat, while Lewis finished the match with nine. True freshman Kolby Meeks turned in a solid performance in her first collegiate start with seven kills on 12 attacks and one error for a .500 hitting percentage. Senior libero Jenna Hassell posted a match-high 13 digs.
UALR improved to 25-4 overall and remained perfect in league play with a 19-0 mark.
The all-conference duo of preseason player of the year Edina Begic and Sonja Milanovic led the way for the Trojans, each finishing with 13 kills and a .370 hitting percentage. Adisa Hodzic chipped in with nine kills of her own and did not commit an attack error in her 12 attempts to end the day with a .750 percentage.
Edina Selimovic was outstanding at the net as she had seven total blocks – one solo and six assists. Hodzic was close behind her with five block assists of her own. As a team, UALR finished with 12 total blocks – three solo and 18 block assists.
Arkansas-Little Rock ended the match with 42 kills on 89 attacks with five error for a .416 percentage. The .416 hitting percentage by the Trojans was a new season best by a Jag opponent, eclipsing the previous mark of .333 by Texas State (9/25).
SET ONE: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 17UALR broke a 3-3 tie early on in the first set and took the lead for good as the Trojans pushed across four-straight points. South Alabama trimmed the deficit to 10-6 following a kill by Lewis, but Arkansas-Little Rock used a 9-2 run over the next 11 points to break the match open. Selimovic and Megan Mathis got the scoring started as the duo teamed up for a block. Selimovic also added another block assist and an ace during the run, while Begic had two kills and a block of her own. Hodzic capped off the scoring and put UALR up 19-8 with her second kill of the set.
Kelly Little dropped in back-to-back aces for the Jags to narrow the margin to eight (20-12), but Arkansas-Little Rock would eventually go on to take the set 25-17.
The Trojans were outstanding in the first set, posting a .486 hitting percentage with 17 kills on 35 attacks and no errors. Begic and Milanovic each had six kills apiece in the set for UALR.
SET TWO: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 17In the second set, Arkansas-Little Rock used its frontline defense to pull away from the Jags. With the set tied at two, the Trojans rattled off 10 of the next 12 points to extend its lead out to 12-4. During the run, UALR – which entered the weekend leading the Sun Belt and ranked eighth in the NCAA in blocks with 3.02 blocks per set – registered eight block assists and a solo block by Carolee Dillard. Hodzic and Selimovic gave the Trojans the eight-point lead with blocks of their own.
South Alabama got as close as five on a couple of occasions, both following kills by Lewis, but that was as close as the Jags would get the rest of the way as Arkansas-Little Rock went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-17 second-set victory.
The Trojan frontline helped force 10 South Alabama attack errors in the frame and hold USA to a .111 hitting percentage.
SET THREE: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 18Tied 16-16 in the third set, UALR took the lead for good and control of the set as the Trojans reeled off seven unanswered points. Milanovic and Hodzic each had two kills each during the scoring run, while Selimovic had two block assist and a solo block. Hodzic also had a pair of block assists.
UALR later completed the three-set sweep with a 25-18 victory.
NOTES: With the loss, South Alabama falls to 3-27 in the all-time series versus Arkansas-Little Rock. UALR has now won six straight in the series. The Jags are 0-12 all-time in the series in matches played in Little Rock. The .416 hitting percentage by the Trojans was a new season best by a Jag opponent, eclipsing the previous mark of .333 by Texas State (9/25). True freshman Kolby Meeks turned in a solid performance in her first collegiate start with seven kills on 12 attacks and one error for a .500 hitting percentage.
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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