Box Score

MONROE, La. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell to Louisiana-Monroe in five sets (27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 21-25, 13-15) in Sun Belt Conference action Friday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

USA (14-12, 5-8 SBC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match, but ULM (9-21, 3-9 SBC) responded with three straight wins to clinch the match.

Ashlyn Roberts posted her fourth double-double of the season with 24 assists and 10 digs in the match. Parker Harrell recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 21 digs and 26 assists, along with one service ace, and Arissa Chappell tied a career-high with 23 digs and also added seven assists and one service ace. Four Jaguars posted double-figure kill totals, led by Iva Durdanovic who finished with 15 kills, two service aces, six digs and two block assists. Mechell Daniel recorded 14 kills, nine digs, one block solo and two block assists. Kristina Alabastro finished with 12 kills, three digs and six block assists, and Nikki Gittens added 12 kills, two digs, one block solo and four block assists. 

South Alabama opened the match with a 27-25 win in set one. Durdanovic recorded five kills in the set, and Alabastro posted three block assists to lead a Jaguar defense that finished with five total team blocks in the set. A kill by ULM's Hope Pawlik gave the Warhawks set point at 24-21, but USA answered with three straight points, highlighted by kills from Gittens and Kelley Hartman, to tie the score at 24. A kill by Pawlik gave ULM its second set point at 25-24, but a kill by Daniel and consecutive Warhawk attack errors clinched the set for the Jaguars.

USA took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-22 win in set two. Daniel recorded six kills and a .500 hitting percentage in the second set to lead the Jaguar attack. Six straight Warhawk errors late in the set resulted in a 21-18 South Alabama advantage. A service ace by Chappell gave the Jags set point at 24-21. Following a kill by Pawlik, Daniel clinched the set for USA with a kill.

ULM took set three 25-23, and evened the match with a 25-21 win in set four. The Warhawks clinched the match with a 15-13 win in set five. Pawlik led ULM with double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs.

"Tonight we came ready to play and were tough for two-and-a-half sets," USA head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. "We lost our focus in the middle of the third set when we were up pretty good. Volleyball is a game of unforced errors, and we gave UL-Monroe too many points. But I credit UL-Monroe for their fight."

South Alabama will return to action Sunday when it faces Louisiana-Lafayette at 12:30 p.m. at Earl K. Long Gym in Lafayette, La.

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).