South Alabama Match Notes (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off a strong performance at its home tournament, the University of South Alabama volleyball team will look to continue to build momentum as it jumps into Sun Belt Conference action this weekend with a pair of matches.
USA (5-4) will host Arkansas State on Friday night and then welcome Appalachian State on Saturday. First serve for both matches is set for 6:30 p.m. at Jag Gym.
"I believe as we open Sun Belt Conference play it will be important we come out ready to battle and compete for every point," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "It is also vital we play Jaguar Volleyball. When we do that and stay true to our style of play, we are realizing we have more success."
Live stats and web streaming for both matches this weekend 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.
South Alabama enters play this week after posting a perfect record in all three of its matches this past weekend en route to capturing the Jaguar Invitational title. USA picked up a five-set win over Houston Baptist and then swept both McNeese State and Samford in straight sets on Saturday.
"Our team has worked extremely hard since January and after the first two weekends we knew we were just a few points away from standing 4-2 versus a 2-4 record," Hendrichovsky noted. "In practice, we emphasized competing for every point. This past weekend once we battled back and came together to win the Houston Baptist match; it was a big confidence booster. Our team was very strong mentally and stayed composed throughout the McNeese State and Samford matches. They also stayed consistent with their energy and communication against our opponents on Saturday.
"We believe the key to continue building on this weekend's success is to draw on the positives from our victories, and continue to stay present and focused on the strategies needed to be successful against the teams we will face heading into conference play."
For her play, junior opposite side hitter Mechell Daniel was named the tournament's MVP after averaging leading the club with 45 kills (4.09 kps) and hitting .330, to go along with her 29 digs. Daniel ranks fifth in the league offensively with 3.33 kills per set and hitting .261. She has three double-doubles this season.
Junior middle blocker Sarah Richardson was also named to the all-tournament squad. The Germantown, Tenn., native had 23 kills and 10 block assists, while hitting .525 over her three matches. Richardson committed just two attack errors in her four attempts. Richardson leads the Sun Belt in htting percentage (.435) and leads South Alabama defensively at the net with 35 total blocks.
Fellow middle blocker Nikki Gittens is averaging 2.00 kills per set and is second on the club with 32 blocks.
Sophomore setter Emma Anderson ranks sixth in the SBC in assists, averaging 8.89 per set. She is tied with Daniel in double-doubles.
Arissa Chappell is seventh in the SBC in aces (0.36) and is averaging a team-best 3.22 digs per set. Chappell had a career-best five aces versus HBU on Friday. The Jaguars rank fourth in the league in both service aces (1.44) and digs (14.61).
Arkansas State enters Sun Belt Conference play after an impressive 9-1 start to the season. Seven of ASU's nine wins have come in straight-sets. The lone defeat was undefeated Missouri at the South Florida Invitational in Tampa, Fla. The Red Wolves held a 2-1 lead in that match only to see the Tigers rally back and take the final two to pick up the 3-2 victory.
Offensively, the Red Wolves have three players ranked in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in kills – Carlisa May (3.59 – second), Drew Jones (3.37 – fourth) and Darby Graff (3.23 – 10th). May was selected as both the league's Offensive and Freshman Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday. May averaged 4.29 kills per set and hit .379 at Golden Hurricane Classic. She has won freshman of the week honors in two of the three weeks thus far this season.
Graff ranks fifth in the SBC in hitting percentage (.358). Junior setter Mallory Warrington is second in the SBC and 24th nationally in assists (11.23).
Markie Schaedig leads the conference and ranks eighth in the NCAA in digs, averaging 5.54 per set. She has twice earned top defensive player of the week accolades in the conference this season, including this past week.
As a team, Arkansas State leads the conference in digs (16.49), is second in hitting percentage (.246), assists (13.20), kills (13.89) and opponent hitting percentage (.168) and third in blocks (2.23). Nationally, the Red Wolves are 25th in assists per set.
Appalachian State (6-4) enters play this week with a 6-4 record and will host Western Carolina on Tuesday and travel to Troy on Friday before facing the Jags on Saturday night. This past weekend, the Mountaineers posted a 2-1 record at their home tournament with the lone loss coming to Missouri.
Senior outside hitter Jess Keller leads the Sun Belt and ranks 21st nationally in kills per set, averaging 4.41. Keller's 172 total kills are also 11th-most in the NCAA in the latest rankings.
Ashton Gregory is seventh in the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.331).
As a team, App State leads the SBC in kills (14.38), assists (13.38) and hitting percentage (.285), while also ranking 16th in hitting and 17th in both kills and assists in the most recent NCAA statistics.
The Mountaineer attack is led by all-conference setter Paige Brown. Brown leads the SBC and is sixth in the NCAA in assists with 11.64 per set. She has earned the league's setter of the week honors all three weeks this season.
Senior libero Meghan Mahoney is fifth in the SBC in digs at 4.69 per set.
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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