Date: 8/16
Position: Hitters

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Katelyn Lochner (26 kills, 43 digs);  Deanna Canfield (42 kills, 30 digs);  Kristina Alabastro (130 kills, 1.57kps, 42 blks);  Mechell Daniel (397 kills, 3.58 kps, 277 digs); Symone Stephenson (165 kills, .205%, 69 blks); Nikki Gittens (249 kills, 2.24 kps, 108 blks); Sarah Richardson (134 kills, 1.23 kps, 105 blks)

Letterwinners Lost (Key stats):  Kolby Meeks (94 kills, 1.57 kps);  Savannah Stewart (117 kills, 266 digs, 2.51 dps). 

Redshirts/Newcomers (Yr., Previous school):  Avery Cooper (Redshirted in 2015);  Iva Durdanovic (Fr., Belgrade [Serbia] Gymnasium);  Kelley Hartman (Fr., Sequoyah [Ga.] HS);  Lauren Hartman (Sequoyah [Ga.] HS). 

Miscellaneous Notes
- Daniel was a second-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection for the second straight season in 2015. She earned first-team all-SBC honors as a freshman in 2013, while also being named the SBC Freshman of the Year. She ranked tied for third in the SBC in kills per set (3.58) last year, and was third in the league in kills per set (3.81) in conference contests. 

- Daniel ranks third on USA's career kills per set chart (3.59), fifth on the program's kill list (1,198) and 10th in career digs per set (2.54). She has 40 career double-doubles, which ranks second in program history and is just two shy of tying the top mark.

- Alabastro played in 27 of the Jaguars' 28 matches as a true freshman last season with eight starts. She was named to the Bruiser Showcase all-tournament team where she recorded 13 kills, nine digs and hit .455 in a tournament-opening win at Belmont in her first career start.

- Canfield played in South Alabama's first five matches with three starts before suffering a season-ending injury against Memphis on Sept. 4 last season. She recorded a season-high 12 digs, along with seven kills, against Providence. Canfield finished with 13 kills and seven digs in a win at Belmont to open last year's Bruiser Showcase in Nashville, Tenn.

- Lochner played in 21 matches and competed in 50 sets as a freshman last season. She recorded 26 kills, 43 digs and six blocks, and notched a career-high nine kills at Southern Mississippi while also posting three total blocks – two solo and one assist. Lochner carded 15 digs in her last two matches – seven at Texas-Arlington and eight against Texas State.

Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
-On getting Deanna Canfield and Symone Stephenson back after injuries last season:
"Deanna Canfield returning for her fifth year shows her passion and love of the sport and this program. She could have decided to start her professional journey after she graduated in May, but she really wanted to finish her career on a positive note; we are grateful for her dedication to this team. She has worked incredibly hard this last year to get herself back to where she was prior to her injury. Deanna brings an intense energy to the court and has four years of experience in our system and knows what is expected. 

"Symone Stephenson also returns after an injury that caused her to redshirt her junior season. Symone had a big challenge placed in front of her and we are proud of her for the fight and determination it took to come back playing just as well as she was prior to her injury. Symone is the strongest athlete on our team physically and brings a tough presence at the net for us."  

-On Mechell Daniel's impact:
"Mechell was chosen as one of our captains this spring and has stepped up greatly in this role. She has been our leading point scorer the last three years and has carried a large load for us on the court. This past spring her teammates have noticed her valuable skills off the court as well. Mechell is a classy and respectable athlete for our team and personally she invested a lot of her time along with the other captains into planning their summer schedule, organizing team functions and practice planning. Having captains that can be the 'coaches' when the coaches aren't around is invaluable to this season's success."

-On newcomers who add depth:
"All three of our freshman attackers have shown great promise during our preseason.  Kelley (Hartman), Lauren (Hartman) and Iva (Durdanovic) are an impressive group of athletes and will definitely provide depth and have an opportunity to earn playing time.  Having this group performing where they are now is exciting to myself and my staff. With their strong work ethic and coachability, we are eager to see their improvement over the next few weeks as well as over the course of their career."    

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