Match Notes - Match 15 at Appalachian State and Match 16 at Georgia State (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will open up a three-match road stretch this weekend with a pair of Sun Belt Conference matches. The Jaguars will travel to take on Appalachian State on Friday night with first serve versus the Mountaineers set for 5 p.m. (CT) at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C. USA will then take on Georgia State on Saturday at 5 p.m. (CT) at the GSU Sports Arena.
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 (7-7, 2-2 SBC) comes into play this week after dropping both its Sun Belt matches this past week. The Jags fell in straight sets to both Texas State and Arkansas State. Prior to the two losses, USA had won seven of its last eight.
Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Lewis continues to lead the club offensively as she has 157 kills and is averaging 3.20 kills per set, which ranks sixth in the Sun Belt. Lewis has recorded double-digit kill tallies nine times this season.
Fellow sophomore Mechell Daniel also ranks among the league leaders in kills as she is 10th with 3.02 kills. Daniel has 139 kills this season, but was held to three kills in each of the last two matches. Daniel is also second on the club with 2.48 digs per set. She has five double-doubles this season.
Abby Baker has been solid in the defensive back court. The Fayetteville, Ga., native currently ranks sixth in the Sun Belt in digs with 4.06 per set. She had 199 digs this season.
Jenna Hassell leads the team from beyond the service line with 14 aces this season. She is averaging 0.29 per set.
USA is led defensively at the net by Symone Stephenson and Nikki Gittens. Stephenson leads the Jaguars with 31 total digs, while Gittens is right behind her with 30 total blocks.
Appalachian State (13-2. 3-2 SBC) began the season with 13-straight wins, but suffered its first two losses of the year this past week, falling in five sets on the road to Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday and in four sets at home against Arkansas-Little Rock on Sunday.
"Appalachian State has had a respectable start to the season," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "Anytime you can finish preseason undefeated and win 13 in a row it's quite an accomplishment. Just like every night in our conference, we will need to handle the ball on our side of the court and find ways to put pressure on them."
During the non-conference portion of its schedule, ASU picked up impressive wins over Tennessee, Cincinnati, Louisville and Maryland.
Along with the strong start to the season, the Mountaineers have also ranked among the league leaders in several categories all season long. Appalachian State currently leads the Sun Belt in kills (14.19) and assists (13.72) and ranks second in hitting percentage (.242). ASU is also fourth in the conference in digs (15.74). ASU ranks fifth in the NCAA in assists and 13th in kills per set.
Junior outside hitter Emily Corrigan has made an immediate impact in her first year in the SBC. Corrigan was selected as the league's offensive player of the week each of the first three weeks of the season and leads the conference with 5.08 kills per set. Corrigan also ranks fifth nationally in that same category and her 269 kills are sixth-most in the NCAA.
Lauren Gray has also had a solid season for the Mountaineers. The 6-1 senior middle blocker is eighth in the Sun Belt in kills with 3.13 per set and also ranks fifth in the conference in hitting (.348). Jess Keller sits just outside three kills per set as she is averaging 2.96.
The ASU offense is led by junior setter Paige Brown. Brown leads the SBC and the NCAA in assists with 12.25 per set. She has been selected as the conference's setter of the week four out of the five weeks in 2014.
The Mountaineers have also been strong defensively. Junior libero Meghan Mahoney (4.00 dps) is seventh in the conference in digs. Haley Kerr leads the team with 47 total blocks, while Keller and Gray are tied for second in that category with 35 total blocks.
Georgia State enters this week's action with a 3-10 overall mark and a 1-3 record in the conference. The Panthers dropped their only Sun Belt match this past week, falling on at home to Arkansas-Little Rock in straight sets. Prior to that match, GSU also fell 3-0 at South Alabama back on Sept. 21.
"Georgia State had success against us in a few areas and I expect them to find ways to be more successful," Hendrichovsky said. "We will need to be prepared to execute at a high level."
GSU will travel to Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday before returning home to host the Jags.
Deidra Bohannon paces the Panthers offensively with 3.58 kills per set. She ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in that category. Eliza Zachary is second on the team with 2.84 kps, but ranks fourth in the league in hitting with a .358 percentage.
In Sun Belt play, Bohannon has been even better as she is averaging nearly four kills per set, coming into play this week at 3.92 kps in her four league matches. Zachary has also been stronger as she is averaging 3.02 kps versus SBC foes.
GSU setter Nataiia Neito is tied for ninth in the conference with 0.29 aces per set. Georgia State is third in the conference in aces (1.42).
NOTES: The match versus the Mountaineers on Friday night will be the first-ever versus South Alabama. The match versus the Panthers on Saturday night will mark the seventh in the all-time series versus the Jaguars. USA holds a 5-2 advantage in those meetings and has won four-straight. South Alabama is 2-1 in the series in Atlanta and has won the last two meetings on the Panthers' home floor.
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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