Box Score
BOONE, N.C. – Mechell Daniel turned in her fifth double-double of the season to lead the University of South Alabama volleyball team to a 3-2 win (20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 15-11) over Appalachian State Friday at Holmes Convocation Center.
Daniel recorded a game-high 18 kills along with 18 digs, two assists and two service aces to lead the Jaguar attack. Nikki Gittens tied a season-high with 12 kills and also recorded three digs, while Iva Durdanovic posted 12 kills, two service aces, two digs and two total blocks. Kristina Alabastro added 10 kills and a .450 hitting percentage along with three total blocks. Arissa Chappell finished with a career-high 27 digs, along with five assists, one service ace and one kill. Kellyn Reeves recorded her fourth double-double of the season with a team-high 31 assists and 12 digs, and Ashlyn Roberts posted her fifth career double-double with 24 assists and 12 digs along with one kill.
"Tonight we had a balanced offensive attack and had multiple attackers finding success," USA head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "It was key to get Iva (Durdanovic) and Nikki (Gittens) back in the offense. Katelyn (Lochner) came off the bench tonight and did a great job. Defensively we had great effort that was led by Arissa (Chappell) and Ashlyn (Roberts)."
Appalachian State (4-24, 2-13 SBC) took the opening set 25-20. Ashton Gregory recorded five kills in the set to lead the Mountaineers, while Alabastro, Daniel and Gittens turned in three kills apiece in the opening set. But South Alabama (16-12, 7-8 SBC) responded with a 25-19 win in set two to even the match at one set apiece.
Gittens recorded five kills in the second set to lead USA. A Jaguar ball-handling error cut the Mountaineer deficit to one, 20-19, late in the set. But South Alabama answered to score the final five points of the set, highlighted by a pair of kills by Gittens and a kill by Kelley Hartman, to clinch the set.
USA took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-18 win in set three. Daniel posted five kills to lead a Jaguar attack that hit .343 as a team in the set. South Alabama scored five consecutive points early in the set, which featured a pair of kills by Durdanovic and one kill each by Alabastro and Daniel, to take a 10-4 lead. A kill by Katelyn Lochner late in the set gave USA set point at 24-15. App State scored three straight points on Jaguar errors before a kill by Daniel sealed the set.
The Mountaineers forced a fifth set with a 25-22 win in set four. But the Jaguars responded with a 15-11 win in the fifth set to earn their 16th win of the season. Durdanovic led USA with four kills in the final set while Daniel added three.
South Alabama will conclude its regular season Sunday when it faces Coastal Carolina at noon (CT) in Conway, S.C.
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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