Box Score

LAFAYETTE, La. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team defeated Louisiana in four sets (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 31-29) Friday in Sun Belt Conference action at Earl K. Long Gym.

South Alabama (16-6, 9-1 SBC) extended its win streak to four games with the victory, and also snapped a two-game losing skid to Louisiana (11-7, 6-4 SBC). Four Jaguars recorded double-digit kill totals, led by Maddie Soboleski with 15. Kailey Keeble recorded her 14th double-double of the season with a game-high 52 assists and 15 digs.

GAME FACTS
Set 1
- South Alabama scored the first four points of the match on a pair of kills by Hannah Maddux, one kill by Maddie Soboleski and a block-assist from Maddux and Kennedy Wallace.
- Louisiana answered with a 5-0 scoring run for a 5-4 advantage.
- The Cajuns held a 12-11 lead before a 3-0 Jaguar run that included two kills by Maddux and one by Soboleski gave USA a 14-12 lead.
- A pair of kills by Carissa Bradford and one kill by Wallace accounted for a 3-0 Jaguar run that gave South Alabama a 19-18 lead.
- Louisiana took a 22-20 lead after a Jaguar service error, but USA responded with a 5-0 run to clinch the set; the Jags earned set point at 24-22 on a Cajun attack error, and clinched the set 25-22 on a Louisiana ball-handling error for a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set 2
- A kill by Soboleski cut the UL lead to 14-9 midway through the set, but the Cajuns went on a 3-0 run to build a 17-9 advantage.
- South Alabama went on a 4-0 run, highlighted by a pair of kills by Ezgi Karabulut, to cut the Cajun lead to 21-15.
- A 3-0 Jag run that featured a service ace by Rachel Hickey cut the Louisiana lead to 22-18. 
- The Cajuns earned set point at 24-19 on a Jaguar service error, and clinched the set 25-19 on a solo block by Kara Barnes to even the match at one set apiece.

Set 3
- Louisiana cut the USA lead to 10-9 on a kill by Cami Hicks, but the Jags used a 4-0 run that was capped by three straight kills from Maddux, Soboleski and Wallace to take a 14-9 lead.
- South Alabama pushed its lead to 19-12 with a 3-0 run that included consecutive kills by Niki Capizzi.
- The Jags later earned set point at 24-16 on a kill by Maddux, and clinched the set 25-17 on a kill by Wallace for a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set 4
- The Jags took a 6-5 lead after a kill by Capizzi and solo block by Wallace.
- A Jaguar attack error tied the score 9-9, but a kill by Karabulut and service ace from Hickey gave USA an 11-9 advantage.
- A kill by Capizzi and three consecutive kills from Bradford gave the Jags a 17-13 lead, but UL answered with a 4-0 run to tie the score 17-17.
- USA earned match point at 24-23 after a Cajun service error, but Louisiana scored the next two points to earn set point at 25-24. Maddux tied the score 25-25 with a kill before UL earned set point at 26-25 on a kill by Coco Gillett.
- Back-to-back kills by Soboleski gave the Jags match point at 27-26, but a Jaguar service error tied the score 27-27.
- A kill by Soboleski gave USA match point at 28-27, but a kill by Gillett tied the score 28-28. Soboleski gave the Jags match point again at 29-28, but the Cajuns tied the score 29-29 on a kill by Gillett.
- USA earned match point at 30-29 on a Cajun service error, and clinched the set 31-29 on a kill by Wallace to clinch the match.

NOTES
- Four Jaguars recorded double-digit kill totals, led by Soboleski with 15. Maddux finished with 14 kills and .367 hitting percentage, followed by Bradford with 13 and Capizzi with 11 and a .556 hitting percentage.
- Keeble's double-double marked her team-leading 14th of the season. She finished with 52 kills and 15 digs, along with four kills.
- Hickey finished with a career-high four service aces and game-high 19 digs, along with four assists.
- USA posted a .441 team hitting percentage in set one, and .353 hitting percentage in the third set.
- The win marked the Jags four straight and snapped a two-game losing skid to Louisiana. It also marked the first Jaguar win in Lafayette, La., since 2016.

QUOTES
Head Coach Jesse Ortiz
- On the win:
"The Ragin' Cajuns are a real formidable group, and we knew that coming in; we told our team that. They are young but are good. We knew this was going to be a dogfight. They have some really physical middles and are fast to the pins. They caught us in a few one-on-ones, but their outsides were definitely a handful in terms of working up to our block and hitting around it. Our hat goes off to them. We have to do a better job of establishing blocks and make better walls, especially in situations where we need to be in front of those two outsides. But we went after it and served great. We had a pretty good offensive night and we're capable of that. It was definitely an offensive match for sure."

- On the fourth set:
"I am proud of how we did that. It could have gone two ways. Since our lost to Coastal, we have been extremely good about keeping our cool and just staying motivated for the very next point. As the game started changing they threw different personnel at us, and we just kept our heads and kept our cool. (Maddie) Soboleski is the one player on our team who doesn't get as much acclaim because of how much she handles for us. A lot of times she is handling the bulk of the serve-receive, and that will take down her in hitting percentage. But we got Ezgi (Karabulut) in there to kind of lighten the load for Soboleski, and that really allowed her to be a little more offensive."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Sun., Oct. 24, when it faces ULM in a Sun Belt Conference match at 11 a.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. 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.