Box Score

MONROE, La. - South Alabama (13-3) completes the sweep over ULM (4-14) in four sets.

In the first set, things stayed heated throughout as neither side gained an advantage greater than three points. Three different Jaguars earned solo blocks, Abryanna Cannon, Lillie Simons, and Niki Capizzi. Anna Loberg also scored early with a service ace. South couldn't put ULM away though, as the Jags needed a 27th point from a Maddie Soboleski kill, and the set winning 28th from a Hannah Maddux. 

The Warhawks got the early jump on South, landing an ace for the first point of the set, then later another as part of a 10-6 lead. Maddux then scored her first ace of the game to keep South close. The Jags couldn't put together a run to make up the early deficit, as the Warhawks took set two, 25-22.

Set three also began with an ace, but this time by the hand of Maddux before a solo block by Soboleski, shifting the energy back to South. Early production from Cannon offensively preserved the lead along with another Capizzi block. The Jaguar lead grew to as much as seven points, at 18-11, until ULM began chipping away at it. Late kills from Maddux and a defiant solo block from Simons kept the separation enough for Cannon to score the set's final two kills for a 25-20 set final.

For the third set in a row, a service ace scored the first point, this one being for the Warhawks. ULM scored two aces in the first three points and set up a strong run that put South Alabama in a hole early, with the score getting up to 7-1. The Jaguars stayed calm though, and worked to use a pair of Maddux aces and a solo block by Simons to try to draw back to even. An ace from Kailey Keeble and solo block from Cannon brought the game back within one, but ULM pulled back away again. The teams continued to trade points up into the twenties, until a Capizzi block set the round even at 22, and Soboleski broke even with a block of her own. At 23-all, Cannon jumped up for her third solo block of the night, and ULM scored to tie it at 24. Keeble dumped a sneaky attack over the net into a soft spot in the ULM court, and Capizzi fired off the set winning kill for a 26-24 win.

Maddux led the squad in both kills (19) and aces (two), while Cannon and Soboleski both dropped 12 kills each. Soboleski finished the day with four solo blocks and 15 digs. Keeble finished with another double-double, finishing with 51 assists, 20 digs, and four kills. Paige Lynn led the team with 23 digs and also put up three assists. Simons and Capizzi both left the game with three solo blocks each, and Capizzi tallied nine kills along the way. 

NOTES
- This is the Jags' seventh 10+ block performance, and second in conference play, and the first time the team has totaled 10+ solo blocks.
- Keeble's 51 assists is her season high, and her most since her 52 assist performance vs Texas State on 11/19/2022.
- USA totaled 88 digs, the highest mark all season, regardless of number of sets. 

UP NEXT
The Jaguars return to Jag Gym for a two game series against the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. The teams will face off Oct. 6 at 6 p.m., and again Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.

FOLLOW THE JAGS
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—USA—