JONESBORO, Ark. | Junior libero
Briana Wilson recorded a career-high 30 digs, but Arkansas State picked up a 3-1 (28-26, 17-25, 25-17, 25-18) win Saturday afternoon to complete the series sweep over South Alabama at First National Bank Arena.
With the win, the Red Wolves (22-4, 12-2 SBC) takes sole possession of first place in the SBC West Division, while the Jaguars fall to 14-10 overall and 10-4 in the league.
Sarah Gooch and
Abryanna Cannon each finished in double figures offensively with 18 and 13 kills, respectively. Cannon added 16 digs to give her her 12th double-double of the season and her eighth in her last nine matches.
Anna Loberg also had 42 assists, five digs and three total blocks.
Dalayla Blackwell led the club with five total blocks – one solo and four assists, while as a team South Alabama held a 15.0 – 9.0 advantage in the category.
As was the case in the series opener, service errors proved costly as the Jags finished with 11, five of which came in the opening set.
Kaitlyn Whitlock (16) and Grace Wiley (15) led the Red Wolves offensively, while Whitlock posted her second double-double of the series with 18 digs. Devyn Lewis also chipped in with 11 kills.
Sarah Martinez had a team-high 27 digs as Arkansas State eclipsed the 80-dig mark for the second time this weekend, registering 82.
Setter Erin Madigan posted a double-double of her own as she had 41 assists and 16 digs, to go along with three kills and five total blocks – two solo and three assists.
Quotable – head coach Jesse Ortiz
- On the match: "I liked how aggressive we were offensively today. I thought we were really getting after it in the first two sets. We probably should have gotten the first set, and that's the one I really look back on and wish we would have been better on that one because I would have liked to have seen us go extra sets. You do your best though and sometimes it doesn't go your way. We have to play better than we did in the final two sets."
- On the play of
Briana Wilson: "Bri was unbelievable. When I saw her earlier today, I told her that she was having a really good weekend. We were putting her up against some of their stronger attackers and allowing her to dig herself out. She was lights out, and I wish we could have reciprocated getting more offense out of her digs. At times, we were a little too tippy, and I think that cost us."
How It Happened
Set 1 – Arkansas State 28, South Alabama 26
• After a 4-0 Jaguar run, which included a pair of
Maradith O'Gorman kills and a solo block by Cannon to put South up 13-11, Arkansas State answered right back with a run of five-straight points to retake the lead at 16-13 after a kill by Whitlock
• The two clubs traded the next two points and South then pulled within one (17-16) after a kill by Cannon and a solo block by Loberg
• Arkansas State pushed across the next three points, but coming out of a time out the Jaguars came right back with three-straight points to cut the deficit to 20-19 after an ace by Simons
• The Red Wolves stretch their lead back out to three, but Gooch recorded three of the Jags next four points – two kills and a block – to put South up 23-22
• South Alabama twice held set point, but tied at 26-26, Whitlock and Wiley posted kills on the next two points to give Arkansas State the first-set win
• Simons led South with five kills, while Simons had four
• Whitlock continued her strong play in the series with seven first-set kills for the Red Wolves
• South Alabama did have five serving errors in the opening frame
Set 2 – South Alabama 25, Arkansas State 17
• South jumped out to a quick start, recording four of first five points, and eventually leading 8-3 to force a time out by Arkansas State
• Cannon and Gooch combined for five kills during the early run, and Loberg and Simons gave the Jags the five-point lead with a block
• Leading by two (11-9), Cannon ignited a 7-2 run over the next nine points with back-to-back kills
• The Jaguars later stretched their lead out to 21-12 after two kills by Gooch and a kill by Blackwell
• Arkansas State grabbed the next three points, but that was as close as it would get as South went on to even the match with the second-set victory
• Gooch sealed the 25-17 win with her ninth kill of the set and her 14th of the match
• Cannon also added six kills in the second set and as a team, the Jags had 18 kills and hit .400
Set 3 – Arkansas State 25, South Alabama 17
• The Jags took two of the first three points, but Arkansas State answered with a 6-0 run, which was led by Whitlock's three kills and a block
• Cannon and Gooch ended the run with a kill each, but coming out of a time out, Arkansas State extended its lead to 17-7 with an 8-2 run of its own
• Haley Glunz had three kills, an ace and teamed up with Madigan for a block to give the Red Wolves a 10-point advantage
• Arkansas State took its largest lead at 21-10, South Alabama mounted a late rally with a 6-0 to cut the deficit to five (21-16)
• The Jaguars had three blocks during the set – two solo – and
Aniston Cochran capped off the scoring spurt with a kill
• The Red Wolves however went on to take the set, 25-17 and go up 2-1 in the match after a pair of kills by Lewis
• Arkansas State held South to a .051 hitting percentage
• Whitlock led ASU with six kills in the frame and hit .385
Set 4 – Arkansas State 25, South Alabama 18
• South Alabama led 4-3 early on in the fourth set after a kill by Cannon, but Arkansas State pushed across four-straight points to take the lead, the last coming on a kill by Lewis (7-4)
• ASU led by six (16-10) midway through the set and the Jaguars were able record the next two points, but the Red Wolves regained control with the next three points
• Wiley posted back-to-back kills and Lewis followed with a kill of her own to extend the ASU lead back out to seven
• Wiley later sealed the win with her sixth kill of the set to give the Red Wolves a 25-18 win
Post-Match Notes
• The meeting marked the 45th in the all-time series and the 22nd in Jonesboro
• The win was the 13-straight win at home for Arkansas State
• The sweep marks just the second time this fall and first since the opening weekend of conference play that the Jaguars have been swept
• The double-double was Cannon's 12th of the season and her eighth in her last nine matches
• Cannon eclipsed both the 550-kill mark at South Alabama and the 900 dig mark for her collegiate career as she now has 564 kills and 910 digs
• Cannon has double-digit kill tallies in 19 of her 24 matches, including 14 of her last 15
• Cannon has also had nine or more digs in 14 of her last 17 matches, including eight of her last nine in double figures
• With her two block assists, Simons (235) passed Angela Gattis (234, 1999-02) for ninth at South in the category
• Wilson (576) eclipsed the 550-dig mark for her career, in addition to setting a new career high
• Wilson has recorded 13 or more digs in 17-straight entering the series
• Gooch has recorded nine or more kills in 14 of her last 18 matches, including 11 of her last 13, and 10 in double figures over the 18-match stretch
• The nine kills by Gooch in the second set marked the second-most by in a single set this fall by the sophomore, and the ninth time a Jag has had seven or more in a set
• With her 12 digs,
Addison Hurst has had 85 digs off the bench over her last 10 matches
• Loberg had her streak of 17-straight matches with at least one kill come to an end
• O'Gorman has had three or more blocks in 11 of her last 15 matches, and totaled 47 total blocks over that stretch
Up Next
• South Alabama will return home for its final Sun Belt Conference series versus Coastal Carolina. The Jags will open up the series on Friday at 6 p.m. and then close things out on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Jag Gym where the program will honor Cannon and Simons.
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