Box Score (PDF)
BOONE, N.C. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team defeated Appalachian State in four sets Saturday in Sun Belt Conference action at Holmes Convocation Center.
USA (4-5, 4-1 SBC) secured the three-match series sweep with the win, which also extended its win streak to four matches. Jaguar setter Maddie Soboleski recorded her second double-double of the season with 29 assists and 12 digs, and Hannah Harris led the team with 12 kills.
South Alabama will return to action Thu., Oct. 15, when it hosts Coastal Carolina at 11 a.m. at Jaguar Gym in the first match of a three-match SBC series.
GAME FACTS
- App State held a 7-4 lead in set one before the Jaguars went on a 4-0 scoring run that featured a kill by Hannah Harris and service ace from Hannah Maddux for an 8-7 lead. A solo block by Rebecca Walk tied the score 11-11, but a 4-0 Mountaineer run gave App State a 15-11 lead. Consecutive kills from Meaghan Jones and Harris cut the Jaguar deficit to 17-15, but back-to-back kills by App's Lexi Kohut and a Jaguar attack error increased the Mountaineer lead to 20-15. USA cut the App lead to 21-19 after a 3-0 run that was aided by two Mountaineer attack errors and one service error. App State earned set point at 24-19 on a Jaguar attack error, and clinched the set 25-19 on a kill by Grace Morrison for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- South Alabama opened set two with a 5-0 run that was highlighted by kills from Jones and Harris and a service ace by Maddie Soboleski. USA pushed its lead to 12-5 after a 3-0 run that featured kills by Jones and Hannah Johnson. Consecutive kills by Walk and Jones later extended the Jaguar advantage to 17-9. A 4-0 Mountaineer run cut the USA lead to 18-14. South Alabama earned set point at 24-21 on a kill by Walk, and clinched the set 25-21 on a solo block by Jones to even the match at one set apiece.
- The Jags jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set three after a kill by Walk and Mountaineer attack error. Kills by Maddux and Johnson, and a pair of App State attack errors accounted for a 4-0 USA run that pushed the Jaguar lead to 10-3. A 4-0 Jaguar run that featured a service ace by Soboleski and kills by Jones and Harris extended the USA lead to 17-7. USA increased its lead to 20-9 after an App State service error and kill by Maddux. The Jags later earned set point at 24-13 on a service ace by Juanita Monteiro-Pai, and clinched the set 25-13 on a kill by Johnson for a 2-1 lead in the match.
- South Alabama used a 4-1, highlighted by kills from Harris, Soboleski and Walk, for an 11-7 lead in set four. The Mountaineers took a 14-12 lead after a kill by Lexi Kohut, but USA responded with a 7-0 run, which featured a kill and block by Maddux and a block by Carly Doros, to take a 21-12 lead. South Alabama later earned match point at 24-16 on a solo block by Harris, and clinched the set 25-16 on a kill by Harris to win the match 3-1.
NOTES
- Soboleski recorded her second double-double of the season, finishing with a game-high 29 assists and 12 digs, and also added three kills and three service aces.
- Harris finished with a team-high 12 kills, along with a .270 hitting percentage, one assist, one service ace, seven digs and one block.
- Maddux recorded a career-high 15 digs, and added nine kills, one service ace and two total blocks.
- Hickey finished with a career-high 26 digs, and also added four assists.
- App State's Kohut recorded a double-double with a game-high 19 kills and 10 digs.
- South Alabama extended its win streak over Appalachian State to three matches with the win.
QUOTES
Head Coach Alexis Meeks-Rydell
- On the win:
"Going into today, we told the girls that App State was going to play extremely well; they had played better each set yesterday, and were only going to continue getting better and that's exactly what they did. I think we were caught off guard in the first set by how well they were handling the ball. We just didn't have the same confidence in that set as we did yesterday. We switched a few players around and switched a few things within our game plan after set one, and started to get back into our flow. I was extremely proud of our team for staying level-headed through the weekend and especially today. We have a few things we need to clean up before we play Coastal Carolina this upcoming week, but this was a phenomenal road trip and we're ready to be back in Jag Gym."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Thu., Oct. 15, when it hosts Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference match at 11 a.m. at Jaguar 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.
—USA—
