MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama (20-7,11-4) defeated James Madison (19-8,12-3) in the opener for the Jaguars' second cross-divisional series.
The Jaguars jumped out to an early lead in set one and left no breathing room for the Dukes from start to finish.
Maddie Soboleski's service ace kicked things off for South, and a service run by
Kailey Keeble created the separation that caused James Madison to lag behind. A trio of pro-Jaguar attack errors followed by a Keeble ace forced an eight point lead before either side had reached 20. A late surge for South by Soboleski was followed up by a
Lillie Simons and Keeble block that froze the set at a 25-17 final score.
USA held the momentum through the opening points of the second set. The early points for the Jaguars came in a rotation of kills by
Abryanna Cannon,
Hannah Maddux, and Soboleski. The Jags left the door open for a Dukes comeback that threatened, but back-to-back service aces from Soboleski and two crucial kills from Cannon gave way to a 25-18 South Alabama set.
Set three saw the Dukes taking the opening points, flipping the script and forcing the Jaguars to gain ground. James Madison had built a 10-5 lead before a South Alabama run evened things back up for the majority of the set using the same trio of Maddux, Soboleski, and Cannon. The Jaguars benefitted off a few attack errors then finished off the Dukes with an ace from
Niki Capizzi, and a kill from each Simons, Maddux, and Cannon.
Maddux ended the night with 14 kills and four total blocks. Cannon and Soboleski finished with 13 kills each. Keeble tallied 37 assists, 14 digs, and five total blocks, tying her career high. Simons also ended with five blocks and three kills of her own.
NOTES
- Tonight was the third time this season South Alabama has held their opponents to three blocks or fewer.
- This is the seventh match of the season, and fourth in conference play, that the Jaguars have recorded .300 hitting percentage or better.
- Keeble's 37-14 double-double marks her fourteenth of the season.
UP NEXT
South Alabama will turn around for a rematch with James Madison on Friday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m. in Jag Gym for their regular season finale.
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