Box Score (PDF)

ATLANTA – The University of South Alabama volleyball team defeated Georgia State in four sets (25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22) Friday in a Sun Belt Conference East Division match at GSU Sports Arena.

USA (9-11, 3-4 Sun Belt) will return to action Saturday when it squares off with Georgia Southern at 5:30 p.m. (CT) at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga.
 
GAME FACTS
- Georgia State went on a 7-1 scoring run in the opening set, aided by four Jaguar attack errors, to turn a one-point deficit into a 14-9 advantage. USA responded with a 3-0 run that featured a kill by Meaghan Jones and service ace from Katelyn Lochner to cut the Panther lead to 14-12. South Alabama used an 8-1 run later in the set, highlighted by two kills apiece from Hannah Harris and Lauren Hartman, a kill by Morgan Stalcup and block from Harris, to take a 21-19 lead. The Jaguars earned set point at 24-22 on a kill by Meaghan Jones, and clinched set one 25-23 on a kill by Lauren Hartman to take a 1-0 lead in the match. 
- South Alabama went on a 7-0 scoring run early in set two, highlighted by kills from Lauren Hartman, Kelley Hartman and Jones, and a service ace from Ashlyn Roberts, to take an 8-3 lead. GSU answered with a 5-0 run to tie the score at 8-8 before the Jags scored three straight points on a kill by Jones and a pair of Panther errors for an 11-8 advantage. GSU used a 4-0 run later in the set to take a 15-13 lead, but a kill by Stalcup and a Panther error tied the score at 15-15. The Jags took a 19-18 lead after a Panther service error, but GSU responded with a 4-0 run for a 22-19 advantage. Consecutive kills by Kelley Hartman cut the GSU lead to 22-21, and the Jaguars tied the score 23-23 following back-to-back kills from Harris. USA earned set point at 24-23 on a service ace by Kelley Hartman, and clinched the set 25-23 on a Panther attack error to take a 2-0 lead in the match. 
- Georgia State went on a 6-1 run early in the third set to break a 5-5 tie and take a 9-5 lead. The Panthers earned set point at 24-15 on a block by Sarah Renner, which capped a 4-0 Panther scoring run, and clinched the set 25-18 on a kill by Crystal Lee to cut the Jaguar lead in the match to 2-1.
- USA went on a 7-0 run early in the fourth set, aided by five GSU errors, to take an 8-3 lead. The Panthers used a 3-0 run midway through the set to cut the Jaguar lead to 15-13. USA later earned match point at 24-18 on a service ace by Rachael DeMarcus, and clinched the match 25-22 on a block-assist from Harris and Hannah Johnson.

NOTES
- Harris finished with a game-high 15 kills, along with four digs and two total blocks.
- Kelley Hartman added 10 kills, one assist, one service ace, three digs and three total blocks, while Jones recorded nine kills, one dig and one block.
- Ashlyn Roberts finished with a team-high 17 digs, and also added one assist and one service ace. DeMarcus finished with a game-high 39 assists in addition to one kill, one service ace, eight digs and one block. 
- USA extended its winning streak against GSU to four matches with the win.

QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the Jaguar scoring runs in the match:
"Overall, it wasn't our best match execution-wise, but I thought we were very composed in the moments at the end of sets. That was the difference tonight in picking up the win - we executed at the end when we needed it. We talked about last week how we didn't do a very good job of point-scoring against Louisiana, and I thought we did a good job of scoring. We worked on defense this week, and we executed the serving game very well; so that part of the game is kind of what created that separation and allowed us to go on those runs. Katelyn Lochner did a great job coming off the bench in the first set starting a run and making plays. That was a big momentum change; I was very proud of her."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Saturday when it squares off with Georgia Southern at 5:30 p.m. (CT) at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Rally Score Club, the volleyball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Rally Score Club go directly to support the South Alabama volleyball program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/rallyscoreclub.