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USA-KSU Box Score

KENNESAW, Ga. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team dropped a pair of matches at the Owl Invitational Saturday at KSU Convocation Center. 

USA fell to Samford in four sets (18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 20-25), and fell to tournament host Kennesaw State in five sets (25-21, 24-26, 25-22, 21-25, 7-15). Jaguar setter Rachael DeMarcus was named to the Owl Invitational All-Tournament Team.

South Alabama (4-6) will return to action Tue., Sept. 17, when it travels to Montgomery, Ala., for a 7 p.m. match against Alabama State.
 
Samford 3, South Alabama 1 (18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 20-25)
GAME FACTS
- Samford finished with nine total team blocks, while the Jaguars recorded eight team blocks.
- The Bulldogs earned set point in the opening set at 24-18 on a kill by Kelsi Hobbs, and clinched the set 25-18 on a kill by Lauren Deaton to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
- USA took a 22-20 lead in set two following a kill by Kelley Hartman, but Samford responded with a 4-0 run in which it earned set point at 24-22 on a kill by Hobbs. A kill by Hobbs one point later clinched the set for the Bulldogs 25-23 for a 2-0 lead.
- The Jags took a 23-22 lead late in set three after a Bulldog attack error. South Alabama earned set point at 24-22 on a kill from Iva Durdanovic, and clinched the set 25-22 on a service ace by Lillie Fromdahl to cut the SU lead to 2-1 in the match.
- USA cut the Samford lead to one point at 21-20 late in set four following a kill by Durdanovic. But the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to clinch the set 25-20 and the match 3-1.

NOTES
- Samford's Deaton and Hobbs finished with a game-high 18 kills apiece.
- Durdanovic led the Jaguars with 12 kills, and also added one assist, nine digs, one solo block and one block assist.
- Lauren Hartman finished with 11 kills, a .348 hitting percentage, one assist, one solo block and three block-assists.
- DeMarcus recorded a team-high 34 assists, in addition to nine digs and one block assist.
- Ashlyn Roberts led the Jags with 15 digs, and also added one kill, two assists and one service ace.

Kennesaw State 3, South Alabama 2 (25-21, 24-26, 25-22, 21-25, 7-15)
GAME FACTS
- The Jags pushed their lead to six points at one point in the opening set before earning set point at 24-20 on a kill by Durdanovic. A kill by Durdanovic one point later clinched the set 25-21 for a 1-0 Jaguar lead in the match.
- USA tied the score 23-23 late in set two on an Owl service error, and earned set point at 24-23 on a KSU attack error. But the Owls answered with three consecutive points, earning set point at 25-24 on a block by Jasmine Brown and Lexie Brownwater, and clinching the set 26-24 on a kill by Dani Ballou to tie the match 1-1.
- The Jags held a 22-16 lead in set three before KSU used a 5-0 run to cut the USA lead to one at 22-21. But South Alabama scored three of the next four points on a kill by Lauren Hartman, a kill by Meaghan Jones to earn set point at 24-22 and a kill by Kelley Hartman to clinch the set 25-22.
- South Alabama held a 12-9 lead in set four, but the Owls went on a 7-0 run to take a 16-12 lead. USA cut the KSU lead to one at 21-20 on a block by Lauren Hartman and Hannah Maddux. But the Owls scored four of the final five points, earning set point at 24-21 on a kill by Brown and clinching the set 25-21 on a kill by Emma Schurfranz.
- The Jags scored the opening point in the fifth set on a kill by Kelley Hartman, but the Owls then went on a 5-0 run to build a four-point lead. USA cut the KSU lead to 8-6 on a block by Maddux and Lauren Harrtman, but the Owls scored seven of the final eight points of the set to clinch the match.

NOTES
- Kelley Hartman finished with a team-high 19 kills, .485 hitting percentage, four digs and four total blocks.
- Durdanovic recorded her second double-double of the season, finishing with 14 kills and 12 digs along with two service aces.
- Lauren Hartman finished with 10 kills, one dig and four total blocks, while Hannah Harris added eight kills, eight digs and two total blocks.
- DeMarcus recorded a team-high 52 assists, and also added eight digs and one kill.
- Roberts finished with a game-high 26 digs, while Fromdahl added 11 digs. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Alexis Meeks-Rydell
- On the day's matches:
"Today was a very tough day, but a huge growing opportunity for our program. We played well all day except for the end of set four and set five against Kennesaw State when it mattered. We are still learning how to trust ourselves and each other in moments of pressure; however, there is more good than bad that came out of today. We are so close to being a very good team. We are becoming scrappy on defense and smart on offense. Trust me, I want to win more than anyone, but I just want to continue to see us grow. As long as we continue to stride forward, I am happy and we did that today. We just need to get back in the gym this week and stay aggressive going into our final four non-conference matches."

UP NEXT
South Alabama (0-3) will return to action Tue., Sept. 17, when it travels to Montgomery, Ala., for a 7 p.m. match against Alabama State.

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.