Box Score (PDF)
Photo Gallery

FOLEY, Ala. – South Alabama volleyball defeated Marshall in four sets in the Sun Belt Conference Championship at Foley Events Center on Thursday.

USA (17-12) advanced to the quarterfinal round where it will face Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The Jaguars won the opening set 25-11 behind Hannah Maddux's nine kills in set one. Marshall tied the match 1-1 with a 25-22 win in set two before USA took a 2-1 lead with a 25-16 win in the third set. South Alabama clinched the match with a 25-12 win in set four.

USA posted a .328 team hitting percentage, led by Maddux who finished with 21 kills and .318 hitting percentage in addition to one service ace, two digs and five blocks. Niki Capizzi added 12 kills, a .318 hitting percentage, one assist, two service aces, one dig and one block. Maddie Soboleski recorded nine kills, one service ace, eight digs and one block, and Morgan Stalcup totaled nine kills, a .562 hitting percentage, one dig and eight blocks. Kailey Keeble finished with a game-high 42 assists, tied her season high in kills with six, and added seven digs and one block.

Rachel Hickey, the SBC Libero of the Year, recorded a game-high 15 digs in addition to four assists. Paige Lynn added 12 digs, five assists and one service ace. 

The win marked South Alabama's fourth straight in the SBC Championship dating back to last year, when the Jags won the tournament with three consecutive victories.

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Friday when it faces Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. in the Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Foley Events Center in Foley, Ala. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and available through the ESPN app, as well as via links through the 'Championships' tab at SunBeltSports.org and the Jaguar volleyball schedule page at USAJaguars.com.

QUOTES
Head Coach Jesse Ortiz
- On the win:
"Kudos to Marshall, they have three great players; I love Mary McElhaney, Lydia Montague and Regan Tinkle. They're really physical and have a lot of good players over there. I thought it was a serve and reception game, and we did a little better on that and we were the ones that pulled ahead."

- On Friday's match against Coastal Carolina:
"I think it is going to be an absolute dogfight. They're really physical. (Ella) Saada is great, I have a lot of respect for her. (Head coach) Jozsef (Forman) does a great job, so I'm expecting it to be a great match. We have to be willing to go toe-to-toe, and they are the same. I think whatever team wins is going to play better. That's nothing prolific, but that's what is going to have to happen and I'm looking forward to it being us hopefully."

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama volleyball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaVB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaAthletics (Facebook), @SouthAlabamaVB (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.