Box Score - Texas State 3, South Alabama 1 (.pdf)STATESBORO, Ga. – Freshman outside hitter Kristina Alabastro recorded a career-high 16 kills and hit .344 in the match, but it wasn't enough as the sixth seeded University of South Alabama volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-18, 14-25, 23-25, 19-25) to third-seeded Texas State in the opening round of the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championships held at Hanner Fieldhouse on the campus of Georgia Southern University.
"Kristina (Alabastro) played very well today and did her job for the team," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "It was great to see her step up in this atmosphere.
"Our team came to play and fought the entire time. Today's match came down to being able to get defensive stops. Texas State handled the ball very well and we couldn't stop their offense."
With the loss, South Alabama's 2015 season comes to an end as the Jaguars finish with a 13-15 overall record. Texas State (19-11) advances to the semifinal round and will now take on No. 2 seed Appalachian State at 3 p.m. (CT) on Saturday. The Mountaineers defeated seventh-seeded Troy, 3-1 in the opening match on Friday.
Along with Alabastro, Mechell Daniel and Nikki Gittens also ended the match in double figures offensively. Daniel had 12 kills and just missed a double-double with nine digs, while Gittens had 10 kills. Savannah Stewart led the way in the back court, recording 18 digs in her final match in a Jaguar uniform.
Kelsey Weynand led the way offensively for Texas State ending the match with 17 kills and a .324 hitting percentage. Lauren Kirch was right behind her with 16 kills to go along with her .517 (16-1-29) hitting percentage. Jordan Kohl also had a solid offensive match for the Bobcats, finishing with 14 kills on 23 attacks and just one attack error for a match-best .565 hitting percentage.
Weynand also added 18 digs, while Sierra Smith chipped in with 14.
As a team, Texas State posted 65 kills and a .316 hitting percentage, while USA had 52 kills and a .212 percentage.
SET ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, TEXAS STATE 18Texas State led by two in the early going of the first set. Trailing 6-4, the Jaguars rallied back to take their first lead of the match, reeling off six straight points to take a three-point lead at 10-7. Emma Anderson had a pair of kills, while Gittens recorded a kill and a solo block during the run.
South Alabama kept the momentum and after a kill by Weynand, the Jaguars opened up some breathing room as they used a 6-1 run to extend their lead out to 16-9. Alabastro, who had six first-set kills, led the way with two more during the run and Daniel slammed home one of her own to give USA the seven-point advantage.
From there, the Jaguars held control and Anderson's third kill of the frame sealed the 25-18 first-set win for South Alabama.
USA was solid both offensively and defensively in the opening set, hitting .349 (18-3-43) and recording 32 digs. Stewart led the way in the back court with eight digs of her own.
The 18 kills tied for the most putaways by the team in a single-set this season, while the 32 digs were a new high mark, eclipsing the previous best of 30 set in the fourth set against Georgia State on Oct. 3.
SET TWO: TEXAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 14The Bobcats got off to a quick start in the second set, pushing across five of the first six points. Kohl gave Texas State the early 5-1 lead with her second kill of the frame.
TSU's defense, led by Kirch, later extended the advantage out to six (10-4). Kirch, who had a solo block and a pair of block assists during the first part of the set, teamed up with Bobcat setter Erin Hoppe to turn back a Jaguar attack and give Texas State the six-point lead.
The Bobcats later stretched their lead out to double figures when USA was unable to return Alex Silver's serve for the first ace of the match.
Texas State held control from there and evened the match at a set apiece with the 25-14 win. TSU was very efficient on the offensive side of the net in the win, posting 15 kills on 26 attempts and just one error for a .538 hitting percentage.
Kohl and Kirch led the offensive attack as they each had four kills apiece for Texas State.
SET THREE: TEXAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 23Coming out of the break, Texas State picked up four of the first five points of the third set, but USA came right back and tied the set back up at 6-6 after back-to-back kills by Daniel. Four points later, the Jaguars took a 9-7 lead after an ace by Arissa Chappell.
USA would hold the lead over the next several points, but holding a 13-11 advantage, the Bobcats would push across four-straight points to retake the lead (15-13) on block assists by Kohl and Madison Daigle.
The Jaguars would continue to battle and tied the set back up at 17-17 after a Bobcat ball-handling error, but Texas State would push across four of the next five points to stretch its lead back out to 21-18 after an offensive miscue by USA.
South Alabama was able to trim the deficit to one on three different occasions down the stretch, the last coming at 24-23 on a kill by Alabastro, but coming out of a time out, Daigle registered her third kill of the set and sixth of the match to seal the 25-23 third-set win for the Bobcats.
SET FOUR: TEXAS STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 19The Jaguars led by two (4-2) early on in the fourth set after Alabastro tied a career high with her 13th kill of the match, but following that point, Texas State would take control. Led by the play of Kirch, the Bobcats erupted on a 9-1 run over the next 10 points. Kirch had five kills during the run for TSU.
Trailing by eight (18-10) later in the frame, South Alabama cut the deficit to five forcing a Texas State time out. Coming out of the time out, Kirch slammed home two more kills and looked as if she had given the Bobcats the momentum back.
USA would not go away though and answered back with a 6-1 run over the next seven points to pull within two and force a Bobcat time out. Stewart ignited the rally with a kill and a solo block. Gittens later capped off the run and cut the deficit to 21-19 with her 10th kill of the afternoon.
Coming out of a time out though, the Bobcats quickly regain control as they reeled off the final four points of the match. Daigle clinched the match and the set as her eighth kill of the contest gave Texas State the 25-19 fourth-set victory.
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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