Box Score (PDF)

STARKVILLE, Miss. – South Alabama volleyball fell to Mississippi State in straight sets Saturday at Newell-Grissom Building to close the Maroon and White Invite.

The loss marked the Jaguars' third straight, and marked the second consecutive match in which USA lost in straight sets.

UP NEXT
South Alabama (3-6) will return to action Thu., Sept. 15, when it hosts Ole Miss at 7 p.m. at Jaguar Gym in its 2022 home opener.

Set 1
- South Alabama went on a 4-0 scoring run, highlighted by a block-assist from Niki Capizzi and Hannah Maddux, to take a 4-1 lead.
- A kill by Maddie Soboleski gave the Jags a 7-4 advantage before Mississippi State went on a 6-0 run to take a 10-7 lead.
- The Bulldogs later earned set point at 24-18 on a kill by Rebecca Walk, and clinched the set 25-19 on a kill by Gabby Waden.

Set 2
- South Alabama took a 7-4 lead following a kill by Morgan Stalcup. MSU answered with a 7-0 run to build an 11-7 lead.
- A Bulldog attack error cut the Jaguar deficit to 11-8, but MSU responded with a 6-0 run to push its lead to 17-8.
- A kill by Shania Cromartie capped a 3-0 Bulldog run that gave MSU set point at 24-12, and a kill by Cromartie clinched the set 25-14 for a 2-0 Bulldog lead.

Set 3
- South Alabama used a 5-0 run, which featured a pair of kills by Capizzi and two service aces by Anna Loberg, to take a 7-3 lead. 
- MSU later went on a 4-0 run to tie the score 10-10.
- The Bulldogs held a 13-11 lead before a 3-0 Jaguar run that included kills by Maddux and Soboleski gave USA a 14-13 lead.
- A 5-0 Jag run, highlighted by a pair of service aces from Paige Lynn, pushed the USA lead to 19-15.
- MSU used a 4-0 run to tie the score 20-20, and later earned match point at 24-23 on a kill by Lauren Myrick. The Bulldogs clinched the set 25-23 on a kill by Gabby Coulter to sweep the match. 

NOTES
- Keeble recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 19 assists and 16 kills.
- Soboleski finished with a team-high 12 kills, and added nine digs and one block.
- The Jaguars posted six service aces in the match, led by Loberg and Paige Lynn who finished with two apiece
- Soboleski and Stalcup were named to the all-tournament team. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Jesse Ortiz
- On the loss:
"They (Mississippi State) are pretty physical. I thought we executed a good plan, and I love how we adapted and held to that. Being able to battle back in the third (set) was a good look for us to check out (for the weekend). I'm happy to see some growth from some of our youngsters; we saw Anna (Loberg) get in, and she did tremendously well, and Lillie (Simons) and Emily Ready got more time. All of those things are good positives to get their feet wet. Obviously we don't like losing and want to continue to keep on working to try to win. I felt like our tenacity and drive was better on a bounce back from yesterday. Now we just have to keep on getting better."

- On the upcoming home opener with Ole Miss:
"We've been on the road for the last three weeks. There's kind of two seasons, non-conference and then there's conference. It will be nice to get back into Jag Gym, and then we'll be back on the road for a few more weeks. But we're excited to get back to where we feel comfortable and see what we can mix up with a good Ole Miss team. They're doing really well right now, so I'm excited to see where we're at in that."

FOLLOW THE JAGS
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