Box Score

ATLANTA – The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell in five sets (25-20, 26-28, 17-25, 25-18, 19-21) at Georgia State in a Sun Belt Conference East Division match Friday at GSU Sports Arena.

The loss snapped the Jaguars' win streak at six matches, and marked their first Sun Belt Conference loss of the season.

South Alabama (10-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) will return to action Sat., Oct. 5, when it travels to Statesboro, Ga., for a 5:30 p.m. (CT) Sun Belt Conference East Division match with Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse.

 GAME FACTS
- GSU cut the USA lead to one point at 11-10 midway through the opening set before a 6-1 Jaguar scoring run, highlighted by a kill from Kelley Hartman, block-assist by Hartman and Rachael DeMarcus and service ace by Hanna Harris, extended the South Alabama lead to 17-11. The Jags earned set point at 24-17 on a kill by Harris, and clinched the set 25-20 on a kill by Hartman for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- USA held a 4-2 lead early in the second set, but the Panthers used a 6-0 run to double their lead at 8-4. South Alabama went on a 3-0 run later in the set to cut the GSU lead to one point at 16-15, but the Panthers responded with a 3-0 run to push their lead to 19-15. The Jags tied the score at 23-23 on a kill by Hartman, and earned set point at 24-23 on a Panther attack error. GSU scored two of the next three points to tie the score at 25-25, and closed the set with a 3-0 scoring run to clinch the set and even the match at one set apiece.
- Georgia State opened up a four-point lead midway through set three with a 3-0 run for a 13-9 advantage. The Panthers increased their lead to six points at 20-14 later in the set on a Jaguar attack error. GSU earned set point at 24-17 on a service ace by Lauren Bandera, and clinched the set 25-17 on a kill by Meisheia Griffin for a 2-1 lead in the match.
- South Alabama scored five of the final six points of set four to even the match at 2-2. A kill by Hartman and service ace from Harris gave the Jags a 22-17 advantage. USA earned set point at 24-18 on a kill by Iva Durdanovic and clinched the set 25-18 on a solo block by Hannah Johnson to even the match at two sets apiece.
- USA went on a 3-0 run early in set five, highlighted by a pair of kills from Hartman, to take a 6-2 lead. The Jags held a 7-4 lead before the Panthers went on a 4-0 scoring run to take an 8-7 lead, but a kill by Durdanovic evened the score at 8-8. USA took a 10-9 lead following a kill by Durdanovic and a Panther attack error, but GSU went on a 3-0 run to take a 12-10 lead. Georgia State earned match point at 14-11 on a kill by Sydney Stroud  before a kill by Hartman and block-assist from Harris and Hartman cut the Panther lead to 14-13. A kill by Hartman tied the score at 14-14, but GSU earned match point at 15-14 on a Jaguar service error. A block-assist from Hartman and DeMarcus tied the score at 15-15, and a kill by Hartman gave the Jags match point at 16-15. A Jaguar attack error on the ensuing rally tied the score at 16-16, and a kill by GSU'S Griffin gave the Panthers match point at 17-16. A Panther service error tied the score at 17-17. A kill by Griffin later in the set gave the Panthers match point at 20-19, and GSU clinched the match 21-19 on a block-assist by Julianna Truscott and Madelyn Ott. 

NOTES
- Hartman finished with a career-high 29 kills, which tied Selena Chidester (2001) for the second-highest kill total in a five-set match in program history, along with a .551 hitting percentage, six digs and four total blocks. 
- Durdanovic recorded her team-leading fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 10 kills and 14 digs, along with one assist.
- DeMarcus finished with a career-high 54 assists, and also added four kills, one service ace, nine digs and three total blocks.
- Harris added eight kills, two service aces, 14 digs and two total blocks. 
- USA recorded eight total team blocks, while the Panthers finished with 14 total blocks.

QUOTES
Head Coach Alexis Meeks-Rydell
- On the loss:
"I have to give a lot of kudos to Georgia State. Those kids fought their butts off and played phenomenal tonight. They (Georgia State) caught us off guard and got us to play a game that we were comfortable with, and we took too long to respond. I am disappointed still with our inconsistency. We are too good of a program to be making some of the mistakes we are making. We have to continue to find a way to battle on the road and show up the same way we do when we're at home."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Sat., Oct. 5, when it travels to Statesboro, Ga., for a 5:30 p.m. (CT) Sun Belt Conference East Division match with Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse.

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.