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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team defeated Southern Miss in straight sets (25-22, 25-16, 25-16) Tuesday at Reed Green Coliseum. 

Iva Durdanovic tied her season high in kills with a game-high 17, and Rachael DeMarcus recorded her second straight double-double with a game-high 30 assists and 12 digs. South Alabama (12-6) will return to action Fri., Oct. 11, when it hosts Louisiana in a Sun Belt Conference match at 6:30 p.m. at Jag Gym.

 GAME FACTS
- The Jags held a one-point lead at 12-11 before going on a 3-0 scoring run that featured kills by Lauren Hartman and Iva Durdanovic, and a block-assist from Lauren Hartman and Kelley Hartman for a 15-11 advantage. Later in the set, Durdanovic recorded back-to-back kills to push the USA lead to 19-15. The Golden Eagles tied the score at 20-20 on a kill by Liana Guillemaud, and took a 22-21 lead on a block-assist from Kress Krutsinger and Hallie Phelan. A kill by Lauren Hartman tied the score at 22-22, and the Jags took a 23-22 lead on a bad set by USM. USA earned set point at 24-22 on a Golden Eagle attack error, and clinched the set 25-22 on a kill by Kelley Hartman to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
- Southern Miss (1-16) held a 12-9 lead midway through set two, but the Jags went on an 8-0 scoring run to take a 17-12 lead. A Golden Eagle attack error and solo block by Kelley Hartman cut the Jaguar deficit to one point at 12-11. Hartman then tied the score 12-12 with a kill, and the Jags took a 14-12 lead on consecutive kills by Durdanovic. Kills from Kelley Hartman and Hannah Harris followed to extend the Jaguar lead to 16-12, and a USM attack error gave USA a 17-12 advantage. The Golden Eagles cut the Jaguar lead to four points at 18-14, but a 6-0 USA run that featured a pair of kills from Hannah Johnson and a service ace by Rachael DeMarcus gave the Jags set point at 24-14. A kill by Durdanovic later clinched the set at 25-16 for a 2-0 Jaguar lead in the contest.
- Southern Miss held a 7-5 lead in set three, but the Jags went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a kill and pair of service aces from Durdanovic, for a 10-7 lead. A 3-0 Jag run later in the set that featured kills from Harris and DeMarcus pushed the USA lead to 14-9. South Alabama extended its lead to 17-10 on a service ace by Harris, and later earned match point at 24-16 on a kill by Durdanovic. The Jags clinched the match 25-16 on a bad set by USM.

NOTES
- Durdanovic tied her season high in kills with a game-high 17, along with a .325 hitting percentage, one assist, two service aces, one dig and one block-assist.
DeMarcus recorded her second straight double-double, finishing with a game-high 30 assists and 12 digs, in addition to two service aces and three kills. 
- Harris added eight kills, .348 hitting percentage, one assist, one service ace and six digs, while Kelley Hartman recorded eight kills, two solo blocks, three block-assists and three digs.
- The Jaguars finished with a .258 team hitting percentage, while the Golden Eagles finished with a .130 hitting percentage.
- The win marked South Alabama's fourth straight over Southern Miss, and extended its all-time lead in the series to 30-20.

QUOTES
Head Coach Alexis Meeks-Rydell
- On the win:
"We started off a little shaky tonight, because Southern Miss was playing phenomenal defense and got us out of our rhythm. I was proud of our effort to put set one away at the end after trading points the whole set. We really stepped up our first contact in the last two sets, and that made all the difference. We are excited to be back home this weekend and get back into conference action."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Fri., Oct. 11, when it hosts Louisiana in a Sun Belt Conference match at 6:30 p.m. at Jag Gym.

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.