Box Score
    
BOONE, N.C. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team fell in four sets (25-20, 22-25, 20-25, 17-25) at Appalachian State Friday in a Sun Belt Conference East Division match at Holmes Convocation Center.

 USA (20-9, 11-4 Sun Belt) will return to action Sun., Nov. 17, when it faces Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference East Division match at 11:30 a.m. (CT) in Conway, S.C., to close its regular-season schedule.

 GAME FACTS
- App State opened the first set with a 4-0 scoring run. Later in the set, South Alabama went on a 3-0 run, highlighted by a kill by Iva Durdanovic, and block-assist from Kelley Hartman and Durdanovic, to erase a one-point deficit and take a 13-11 lead. A kill by Hartman pushed the USA lead to 14-12, but the Mountaineers went on a 3-0 run to take a 15-14 lead. The Jags responded with a 4-0 run on two kills each from Meaghan Jones and Hartman, for an 18-15 advantage. App State later tied the score at 19-19 on a kill by Emma Longley, but a 5-0 USA run that featured a pair of service aces by Rachael DeMarcus gave the Jaguars set point at 24-19. The Jags clinched the set 25-20 on a kill by Durdanovic for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- The Mountaineers held a one-point lead at 18-17 late in set two, but a 3-0 Jaguar run, highlighted by a kill by Hartman and block-assist from Hartman and DeMarcus, gave South Alabama a 20-18 lead. App State tied the score 20-20 before a service error gave USA a 21-20 advantage. App State went on a 5-1 run to close the set, earning set point at 24-22 on a kill by Daryn Armstrong, and clinching the set 25-22 on a Jaguar attack error to even the match at one set apiece.
- A kill by Durdanovic cut the Jaguar deficit to one point at 15-14 midway through set three, but a 3-0 Mountaineer run pushed the App State advantage to 18-14. App later earned set point at 24-19 on a block-assist by Armstrong and Grace Morrison, and clinched the set 25-20 on a Jaguar ball-handling error to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
- USA cut its deficit to one at 4-3 early in set four after a kill by Durdanovic, but App State went on a 6-1 run to take a 10-4 lead. South Alabama went on a 3-0 run, which featured a kill by Hannah Harris and block-assist from Hannah Johnson and Durdanovic, to cut the App State lead to 13-9. A second 3-0 Jaguar run later in the set cut the Mountaineer lead to three at 15-12. A block-assist by DeMarcus and Johnson cut the App State lead to 19-16, but the Mountaineers went on a 4-0 run to extend their advantage to 23-16. App earned match point at 24-17 on a kill by Grace Morrison, and clinched the match 25-17 on a Jaguar attack error.

NOTES
- Jones recorded her second double-double of the season, finishing with a career-high 18 kills and 10 digs.
- Durdanovic recorded her team-best seventh double-double of the season, and finished with 15 kills and 10 digs, along with a .379 hitting percentage and four total blocks.
- Hartman finished with 13 kills, .333 hitting percentage, six digs and four total blocks. 
- Paige Lynn led the Jags with 19 digs, and DeMarcus finished with a team-high 48 assists, along with two service aces, five digs, and two total blocks.

QUOTES
Head Coach Alexis Meeks-Rydell
- On the loss:
"I have to first give a ton of credit to App State. Their kids played to win tonight and tested us in the best way possible. We followed the game plan for the first two sets, and then App got us out of our comfort zone and we couldn't handle their offensive load defensively. It is disappointing that we didn't execute the way we should have tonight, but we still have another opportunity that we need to focus on. We have to do a better job of keeping our heads in the game for the entire match, and not backing down when our opponents make adjustments. We will learn from this and respond."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Sun., Nov. 17, when it faces Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference East Division match at 11:30 a.m. (CT) in Conway, S.C., to close its regular-season schedule.

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.