Box Score - Appalachian State 3, South Alabama 1 (.pdf)

MOBILE, Ala. – Appalachian State had three players register double-digit kill tallies as the Mountaineers defeated the University of South Alabama volleyball team 3-1 (20-25, 15-25, 25-22, 17-25) Saturday evening at Jag Gym in Sun Belt Conference action.  

USA (5-6, 0-2 SBC) will next host Alabama State on Tuesday night with first serve set for 6 p.m. at Jag Gym.  Live stats and web streaming for the match versus the Hornets 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 led the Jaguars with 13 kills, while Nikki Gittens chipped in with 10 kills of her own and hit .318 in the loss.  Sarah Richardson, Emma Anderson and Kolby Meeks also each finished the night with six kills apiece.  Emily Hundt led the club with 12 digs.

"First of all, we're showing ourselves that when we play together as a team and we trust each other as a team, that we can do some good things," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  "Physically, we fought in both the third and the fourth set until the end.  We had some good moments tonight.  Kolby Meeks came in and was able to provide a spark off the bench.  We also saw people that got pushed in the match and were able to come back and compete.  We saw the competitiveness come out in our team in the third and fourth set, but we didn't start the match that way.  That's for us as a staff to figure out with our team.  We have very competitive athletes in this program and they have to deliver that every night and play together as a team."

Appalachian State improved to 9-4 on the season and 2-0 in league play with the win.  Emily Corrigan posted a match-best 21 kills to go along with her 12 digs and .388 hitting percentage.  Jess Keller added 17 kills of her own and Cassidy Stephenson ended the night with 13 kills and a match-best .524 hitting percentage.

Meghan Mahoney had 30 of ASU's 72 digs.  Paige Brown also posted a double-double with 47 assists and 12 digs.

SET ONE: APPALACHIAN STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 20
App State took control early on in the opening set, capturing seven of the first 10 points.  The Mountaineers were led offensively during the run by Corrigan, who had four of her seven first-set kills during that stretch.  Corrigan was outstanding for ASU in the early going, posting a .462 hitting percentage.

Trailing by five (18-13) later in the set, South Alabama began to rally back, rattling off four-straight points to cut the deficit to one.  Daniel ignited the run with her fifth kill of the set and Kristina Alabastro followed with a kill of her own.  Richardson and Alabastro then teamed up for a block and Katelyn Lochner then made it 18-17 with a putaway.

The Mountaineer defense would help the visitors quickly regain the momentum as Courtney Sullivan posted a solo block and then teamed with Keller for another block to push App State's lead back out to three.  Corrigan later sealed the 25-20 first-set win with another kill.

Appalachian State held a distinctive advantage in the digs category during the first set, holding a 26-15 advantage.  Mahoney led the way with 12.

SET TWO: APPALACHIAN STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 15
In the second set, App State broke an 8-8 tie with a run of three-straight points and never relinquished the lead.  Stephenson, who had five kills and hit .571 in the frame, began the scoring with a kill and Corrigan then added back-to-back kills of her own to give ASU the 11-8 advantage.

The Mountaineers later broke the set open with a large run.  Leading 16-13, Keller recorded one of her four kills in the set to begin a stretch in which the visitors took seven of the next eight points and extended their lead out to nine (23-14).

App State then took a 2-0 lead in the match as it picked up the 25-15 second-set win.  The Mountaineers recorded 18 kills on 35 attempts and committed just three errors in the second set for a .429 hitting percentage.

Corrigan continued her solid effort for ASU, adding seven more kills to her total and hitting .500 in the frame.

SET THREE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, APPALACHIAN STATE 22
Coming out of the intermission, South Alabama raced out to a quick 7-2 advantage.  Meeks slammed home back-to-back kills to give USA the five-point advantage.  

With the Jags holding a 10-6 lead, App State rallied back and pushed across six of the next seven points to take a 12-11 lead following a kill by Keller.

The Jaguars didn't let ASU hold the momentum long as they answered right back with a run of six unanswered points.  Daniel, who had five kills in the third set, ignited the run with three consecutive kills.  Hundt then gave USA a 17-12 advantage when the senior dropped in an ace.

The Mountaineers would battle back and eventually tie the set back up at 21-21 on an ace by Olivia Reed but coming out of a time out, the Jags were able to pick up four of the final five points of the set.  Gittens sealed the 25-22 win for South Alabama with a kill of her own.  

USA registered 18 kills on 39 attacks and committed just five errors in the set for a .333 hitting percentage.

SET FOUR: APPALACHIAN STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 17
Appalachian State held control early on in the fourth and final set as they took an 8-1 lead after a bad set by South Alabama.  From there, the Jaguars were never able to get any closer than five as Corrigan later clinched the match and the 25-17 fourth-set win with a solo block.  

Gittens tried to help South Alabama hang around in the set as she had six kills and hit .500, but it wasn't enough.  As a team, the Jaguars managed to hit just .081 in the final set, committing seven attack errors.

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).

—USA—