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

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team got off to a slow start Tuesday evening, dropping the first set to Alabama State at Jag Gym, but the Jaguars rallied back to take the match, 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-17) in non-conference action.  

"Alabama State came out and executed really well in the first set and that was partially due to our effort on defense," South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said.  "We talked about that going into the second set and definitely got more effort and focus out of our team on the defensive side of the net, which helped us.  In the third set, I thought Arissa Chappell came in and made some clutch plays for us and was able to spread the game out with her serve. We really attacked them with our serve during that set and that helped improve our energy.

"We're learning as a team what it takes for us to consistently do to be successful.  We learn what the result is when we aren't doing that and we learn what the result is when we are able to do those things right.  It's just getting everyone to be focused on what they need to do out on the court.  Coming into the match, we had a pretty good crowd and our team just needed to settle down a little bit.  We made a lot of unforced errors in the first set and I think that was a little bit due to the adrenaline they had going."

USA (6-6, 0-2 SBC) will now head to Statesboro, Ga., to take on Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (CT).  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.

With the win, the Jaguars improve to 24-3 in the series and have won 17-straight.  South Alabama also holds a 13-1 record in the series on its home floor.

The Jaguars used a balanced offensive attack in the win, placing three players in double figures.  Mechell Daniel led the way posting her fourth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 13 digs.  Nikki Gittens also had a career-high 14 kills, while Kolby Meeks added 11 of her own.  

Sarah Richardson just missed double figures with nine kills to go along with her match-high four block assists.

Both Richardson and Gittens were extremely efficient in their attacks versus Alabama State as the due combined for 23 kills on 36 attacks and didn't commit an attack error in the match.  Richardson posted a .750 hitting percentage in her 12 attacks, while Gittens hit .583 in her 24 attempts.

"Early in the season, our middles were two attackers that we needed to use and this past weekend, we didn't get them as much as we needed to on both the offensive and defensive sides of the net.  (Assistant coach) Jordana (Price) works with them very closely and has high expectations for them.  They answered those expectations from the second set on tonight.  To Sarah (Richardson's) credit, she was playing with an illness tonight and was able to fight through that adversity and was able to have a good night, even though she was ill."

As a team, South Alabama hit .336 with 59 kills, 16 errors on 128 attempts.

Along with Daniel, Emily Hundt ended the night with a match-best 16 digs.  Emma Anderson just missed a double-double of her own with a career-high 52 assists and nine digs.  Freshman defensive specialist Arissa Chappell tied a season-high with five aces.

Alabama State dropped to 4-10 on the year with the loss and was led offensively by Amber Bennett's 11 kills.  Bennett also hit .346 in the match in her 26 attempts.  

Rachel Smith, Chelsey Scott and Kimeko Bennett also chipped in with nine kills each.  K. Bennett finished the match with a .400 attack percentage with nine kills, three errors on 15 attempts.

Briana Dorsey had eight kills of her own to go along with four total blocks – one solo and three assists.  Scot Wonsong led the Hornets with 14 digs, while Smith was close behind her with 10.

SET ONE: ALABAMA STATE 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 20
Alabama State took advantage of a slow start by the Jaguars in the opening set, pushing across the first five points of the match to take the early lead and force a time out.  Coming out of the time out, USA ran off four-straight points of its own to cut the deficit to 5-4 after a kill by Daniel.

The Hornets would answer back and stretch their lead back out to five over the next several points.  South Alabama continued to battle its way back, trimming the deficit to one on two occasions.  Anderson and Richardson combined for a block of a Hornet attack to cut the ASU lead to 18-17, but the visitors would answer right back with four-consecutive points.  Rachel Smith, who had four kills in the first set, began the run and Amber Bennett later put Alabama State up 22-17 with a kill of her own.  

Richardson trimmed USA's deficit to 22-20 with a putaway, but Hornets would push across the final three points to take the set, 25-20.  K. Bennett sealed the five-point first-set win for ASU with a kill and a solo block.

Alabama State posted a .429 hitting percentage in the opening frame, registering 15 kills on 28 attacks and committing just three errors.  

SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, ALABAMA STATE 22
Holding a two-point advantage (8-6) early on in the second set, South Alabama gained some breathing room and extended its lead out to six.  After an ASU attack error, Richardson sandwiched a pair of kills around a Savanah Stewart kill.

With USA later holding a 19-15 lead after a kill by Meeks, one of her three in the set, the Hornets began to chip away at the Jaguar advantage.  Alabama State narrowed the deficit to one (22-21) following Myla Marshall's fourth kill of the frame, forcing a time out by the Jaguars.

Two points later with South Alabama still holding a one-point advantage, the Jaguars were able to close out the set with the final two points to even the match back up at a set apiece.  Daniel slammed home her fifth kill of the frame to put USA at set-point and Stewart then dropped in a kill of her own to clinch the 25-22 victory.  

South Alabama recorded 17 kills and just three errors in the second set for a .412 hitting percentage.

SET THREE: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, ALABAMA STATE 18
Alabama State held a 15-14 advantage midway through the third set after a Jaguar attack error, but the lead wouldn't last for the visiting Hornets as USA erupted for a 10-1 run over the next 11 points to take control and hold set-point.  Gittens recorded two of her five kills in the frame during the run to go along with a block assists, while Chappell added a pair of aces.  Gittens later sealed the seven-point victory with another putaway.

SET FOUR: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, ALABAMA STATE 17
Now leading 2-1 in the match, South Alabama took control from the outset in the fourth and final frame, opening things up on an 8-3 run.  Daniel and Meeks would spur on the Jaguar run as the duo had two kills apiece.  They would go on to each post five kills in the fourth set and each hit over .300.

From there, Alabama State didn't get any closer than five the rest of the way as the Jaguars eventually extended their lead out to double figures.   Gittens clinched the set and the match with her 14th kill of the night, giving South Alabama the 25-17 victory.

USA had an 18-kill set for the second time in the match during the fourth frame to go along with a .378 hitting percentage.

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—