Box Score - Texas State 3, South Alabama 1 (.pdf)SAN MARCOS, Texas – The University of South Alabama volleyball team earned the sixth seed in this year's Sun Belt Conference tournament Friday night, but fell 3-1 (20-25, 30-28, 12-25, 18-25) to Texas State at Strahan Coliseum.
Despite the loss, South Alabama (13-13, 7-8 SBC) earned the sixth seed as a result of Troy's 3-1 loss at Georgia Southern on Friday as the Trojans finish the conference regular season with a 7-9 record.
South Alabama holds the tiebreaker between the two clubs as a result of the second tiebreaker (If both teams have the same winning percentage in head-to-head Conference competition, the team having won the most games in the head-to-head Conference matches shall be seeded higher.) Should USA finish with a 7-9 SBC record, the Jaguars won five sets in the two matches between the two clubs this season, while the Trojans won four. Troy won the first meeting 3-2 in Troy, but South Alabama took the second with a 3-1 win in Mobile on Oct. 27.
Little Rock clinched the fifth seed in the conference tournament with a 3-1 win over Appalachian State.
The Jaguars' first-round opponent will be a familiar one as they will take on the Bobcats, who had already earned the third seed in the league tourney, in the opening round on Friday, Nov. 20 with the time still yet to be announced. The two teams split the season series with each winning on its home floor.
USA will now travel to UT Arlington to close out the regular season as it takes on the Mavericks on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the College Park Center. Live stats and web streaming for the match can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com. Fans can also keep up with in-match updates by following action on the program's twitter account @USA_Jags_VB.
Mechell Daniel recorded her 12th double-double of the season to lead the way for South Alabama in the loss. Daniel had a team-high 13 kills to go along with her 11 digs. Nikki Gittens just missed double figures offensively, ending the night with nine kills to go along with her .318 hitting percentage and five total blocks – one solo and four assists. Savannah Stewart led the club with 19 digs, while senior defensive specialist Emily Hundt added 13.
Texas State improved to 18-11 overall and 13-3 in league play with the win. Shelby Vas Matt led all players with 15 kills and 10 digs, while Jordan Kohl chipped in with 13 kills of her own. Kelsey Weynand added nine kills and 10 digs and Madison Daigle had eight putaways.
The Bobcats hit .216 (60-25-162) in the match and held USA to a .047 (39-32-148) percentage. The Jaguars had a negative hitting percentage in each of the last two sets.
Morgan Lewis carded a match-best six blocks – one solo and five assist – and Kohl had five of her own.
SET ONE: TEXAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 20The Bobcats took control early on in the first set as they used a 6-1 run to turn a 3-3 tie into a five-point Texas State lead. Kohl and Lewis capped off the run and gave TSU a 9-4 advantage with a kill each.
Still trailing by five (12-7), USA was able to push across four of the next five points and narrow the deficit to 13-11. Gittens had a kill and Hundt dropped in her second ace of the match for the first two Jaguar points. Texas State later committed back-to-back attack errors for South Alabama's last two points.
Texas State later extended its lead back out to 18-13 after a kill by Shelby Vas Matt. Vas Matt had five kills during the set.
South Alabama would not go away though and battled back again. Trailing 19-14, the Jaguars were able to push across four of the next five points and twice pull within one, the last coming at 21-20 following Daniel's third kill of the frame.
However Vas Matt and Lewis had the answer down the stretch as they recorded the final four points of the set for the Bobcats. Vas Matt added her fourth and fifth kills of the match to start the run. Lewis then posted a solo block to give Texas State set point. Lewis and Vas Matt then sealed the 25-20 first-set win when the duo teamed up for another block.
SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 30, TEXAS STATE 28South Alabama grabbed the first two points of the second set, but led by Daigle, the Bobcats responded to the early Jag lead with a 7-1 run over the next eight points. Daigle had four kills and a block assists during the early part of the second frame.
USA would battle back and tied the contest back up at 8-8 on a Texas State ball-handling error and the two clubs would exchange points back-and-forth over the next eight points. With the set tied at 12-12, the Jaguars ran off three-straight points to take the lead. Parker Harrell recorded a kill and Stewart posted USA's fourth ace of the match. Daniel then followed with a kill to give the Jaguars a 15-12 advantage.
The lead would be short-lived though as the Bobcats responded back by picking up eight of the next 10 points to take a 20-17 lead following a Jaguar attack error.
The Bobcats would later lead 22-18 after another South Alabama attack error, but coming out of a time out, the Jags quickly tied the set back up at 22-22 as they ran off four unanswered points. Stewart had a pair of kills and Gittens slammed home one of her four kills in the frame to tie the contest back up.
Texas State held set-point (28-27) in extra points, but the Bobcats' Emily Shelton recorded the team's third service error of the match to give USA life. Daniel and the Jags then took advantage of the opportunity as the junior opposite side hitter slammed home back-to-back kills to give South Alabama the 30-28 second-set win and even the match at a set apiece. Daniel led the club with six kills in the set.
SET THREE: TEXAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 12Coming out of the intermission, the Jaguars held control early, capturing the first three points of the third set, but Texas State didn't let the visitors hold the lead long. Kohl, who had three kills and a block in the set, ignited an 11-0 run to put the Bobcats back on top.
South Alabama had no answer the rest of the way as Texas State extended its lead out to double digits following three consecutive Jaguar attack errors. USA would hit -.071 in the set, recording five kills on 28 attacks and commit seven attack errors.
The Bobcats were just the opposite in the set, posting a .367 hitting percentage (14-3-30). Texas State eventually took the set, 25-12.
SET FOUR: TEXAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 18South Alabama held a 10-7 advantage midway through the fourth set after a Kolby Meeks kill, but the Texas State defense at the net would help the Bobcats rally back and tie the set back up. Lewis and Weynand teamed up for a block and after another Jag attack error, Sierra Smith dropped in an ace to knot things up at 10-10.
With Texas State holding a one-point advantage (15-14), the Bobcats opened up some breathing room as they pushed across six unanswered points to extend their lead out to seven. Lauren Kirch began the pivotal run with a solo block. Kohl later added a pair of kills and Daigle put TSU up 21-14 with a kill of her own.
From there, the Bobcats would remain in control, eventually taking the set 25-18 to complete the four-set win.
For the second straight set, Texas State held USA to a negative hitting percentage, forcing the Jaguars to hit -.026 (9-10-38).
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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