Box Score - South Alabama 3, Louisiana-Monroe 1 (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – Sophomore outside hitter Michelle Daniel recorded her team-leading 13th double-double of the season Friday night and helped the University of South Alabama volleyball team move one step closer to earning a berth in this year's Sun Belt Conference Championships as the Jags captured a 3-1 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18) victory over Louisiana-Monroe Friday night at Jag Gym.
"It wasn't a very pretty match on either side tonight, but sometimes you have to win ugly," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "It's good to do that sometimes. I thought our girls stayed composed and grinded throughout the match. Hopefully tomorrow we can come out with a little bit better execution and play better. It's nice to pick up a win at this point of the season.
Coupled with Georgia Southern's 3-1 loss to Texas-Arlington on Friday, South Alabama now holds a one-match lead over the Eagles for the eighth and final spot in the league tournament. USA will clinch the spot with either a win on Saturday or a Georgia Southern loss to Texas State.
"To me the most important thing is whether or not we are playing our best volleyball at the end of the season and that's what I would like to see in our match tomorrow," said Hendrichovsky. "If we can play our best volleyball and take care of business and let that get us into the tournament, then that's awesome. We can only control what we can control. Winning helps us get into the tournament, but ultimately, I want us to play our best volleyball tomorrow."
The Jaguars (12-17, 7-12 SBC) will now close out the 2014 regular season on Saturday versus in-state foe Troy. First serve versus the Trojans is set for 6 p.m. at Jag Gym. Live stats and web streaming for the match versus the Trojans will be available at www.USAJaguars.com and can be accessed on the Jaguar volleyball schedule page.
Prior to Saturday's finale versus Troy, USA will recognize its two seniors – Jenna Hassell and Amber Wyatt – for their contributions to the program. Earlier this month, Hassell became the program's all-time career digs leader as she has 1,562 entering play this weekend. She also ranks second in career digs per set average at 3.57. Wyatt had her final year cut short even before it began due to a reoccurring shoulder injury. As a junior, Wyatt posted her best numbers in a Jag uniform as she ranked third in the Sun Belt in blocks and ended the year with 106 total blocks and 1.15 bps, both ranking in the top 10 of their respective categories.
Jessica Lewis also ended the night in double figures with 11 kills, while Mallory Moore added nine kills and Nikki Gittens had eight. Gittens also registered a match high six block assists and Lewis set a new career best with five block assists. As a team, South Alabama had 18 block assists in the win. Hassell had a team-high 14 digs and two aces.
Louisiana-Monroe (9-23, 3-16 SBC) was led by Hope Pawlik's 17 kills. Hadley Swartz also finished the match in double figures with 10 kills of her own. Marcela Araya chipped in with 22 digs.
SET ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 18With the set tied 5-5 early on, South Alabama was the first team string together points, pushing across four of the next five to take a 9-6 lead. Lewis had two of her four kills in the frame during the Jaguar run and Emma Anderson capped off the scoring with an ace.
USA later extended its advantage out to seven (18-11) after four-straight Warhawk attack errors, two coming courtesy of blocks by Lewis and Gittens.
With South Alabama still leading by seven (21-14), ULM made a late run and cut the deficit to four multiple times, the last coming at 22-18, but that would be as close as the Jags would led the visitors get. USA closed out the frame by picking up the final three points and picked up the 25-18 win when Hassell dropped in an ace of her own.
South Alabama was strong offensively in the first set, posting a .417 hitting percentage (13-3-24).
SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 22ULM held a 10-6 lead in the second set after a kill from Pawlik, but South Alabama began to fight its way back. USA began the scoring with three-straight points to trim the deficit to 10-9 on an ace by Anderson – her second of the night. The Jags later took their first lead of the frame at 14-12 following kills by Daniel and Moore.
With USA still leading by three (19-16) after another kill by Moore, Louisiana-Monroe pushed across five unanswered points to retake the lead, 21-19, after an ace by Taylor Zaeske.
Trailing by two, two points later, South Alabama would regain the momentum and close out the second set by picking up the final four points. After a ULM attack error, Hassell recorded her second service ace of the match to tie the contest up at 22-22. The Warhawks then committed a ball-handling error to put USA back out in front. Gittens slammed home a kill to put South Alabama at set point and then clinched the set when she teamed up with true freshman Kolby Meeks to turn back an attack by Swartz.
SET THREE: LOUISIANA-MONROE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 21The third set was close throughout with neither team able to hold more than a two or three point lead for a majority of the set.
South Alabama led 20-19 following a kill by Daniel, but ULM came right back and picked up the ensuing point on a kill by Swartz to tie the frame back up and begin a string of three consecutive Warhawk points.
USA again pulled to within one (22-21) when Lewis posted her third kill of the frame coming out of a Jag time out, but on the next point, South Alabama registered its seventh serving error of the match. ULM then went on to capture the next two points and take the set 25-21.
The Jaguars struggled on the offensive side of the net in the third set as they committed nine attack errors and hit .030.
SET FOUR: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, LOUISIANA-MONROE 18In the fourth set, South Alabama broke an 8-all time with a run of five unanswered points. Lewis began the scoring with a kill and Moore later gave USA the 13-8 advantage when the sophomore posted back-to-back kills.
South Alabama held the lead from that point on, but ULM made a late charge at the Jags, narrowing the deficit to as few as two (18-16) after an attack error by USA.
However, the Jaguars would close strong and push across seven of the final nine points of the match en route to the 25-18 victory. Gittens was solid down the stretch for South Alabama as she had a block assist and a pair of kills, including the match-clincher.
NOTES: South Alabama improved to 10-6 in the all-time series with the win and has now won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two clubs. The Jags are also 7-0 all-time in Mobile versus the Warhawks. With the win coupled with a 3-1 loss by Georgia Southern to Texas-Arlington, South Alabama moved one step closer to earning a berth in this year's Sun Belt Conference Championships. USA will clinch a berth in the conference tournament with either a win over Troy or a Georgia Southern loss on Saturday. With her 13 kills and 12 digs, Mechell Daniel now has 13 double-doubles this 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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