University of South Alabama Athletics

JONESBORO, Ark. | Alivia Freeman posted a career-high 12 kills and her third-straight match with four blocks, but it wasn't enough as Arkansas State picked up a 3-0 (25-19, 29-27, 25-21) win over South Alabama Friday evening at the First National Bank Arena.

Freeman was one of three Jaguars (7-10, 2-3 SBC) to finish the match in double figures as Dalayla Blackwell and Eva Dittmar each had 10 kills apiece. Freeman posted a .688 hitting percentage (.688) and committed just one attack error in her 16 attempts. Alexa Strandberg led the club with six total blocks – one solo and five assists – while Anabelle Cerny posted her ninth double-double of the season with 37 assists and 13 digs.

Arkansas State (8-8, 4-1 SBC) was paced offensively by Kaitlin Whitlock's 14 kills.

Quotable – head coach Jesse Ortiz
- On the match: "I thought Arkansas State played a little cleaner than us tonight. We are going to need to grow in our consistency and ability to be impactful offensively. Our middle production was outstanding, we are going to need that and some production from others tomorrow.

How It Happened 
Set 1 – Arkansas State 25, South Alabama 19
•    KEY MOMENT: Holding a one-point advantage midway through the set, Whitlock sparked an ASU run in which it reeled off seven of the next nine points
•    Tied 9-9, Whitlock and Addison Collum sparked a 4-1 scoring run by the Red Wolves, and took a 13-10 lead after another kill by Collum
•    Coming out of the media time out, Dittmar narrowed the deficit to one (15-14) with a kill of her own, ASU stretched its lead back out to six with a 7-2 run
•    During the run, Whitlock had a pair of kills and a service ace, while Calea Bush added a kill followed by a Jag attack error to put Arkansas State up 22-16
•    Adison Ozuna later sealed the set win with a kill (25-19)
•    Whitlock led all players with five kills in the opening set, while Dittmar and Blackwell had four kills each for the Jaguars

Set 2 – Arkansas State 29, South Alabama 27
•    KEY MOMENT: South Alabama held set point, leading by two but Arkansas State was able to fight off those two Jaguar opportunities, and eventually take the set in extra points
•    Trailing by two early on in the second set, South Alabama pushed across three-straight points and took its first lead (10-9) since the opening point following a solo block by Blackwell
•    Tied (11-11) three points later, the Red Wolves pushed across four of the next six points and took a 15-13 lead at the media time out following a kil by Bush
•    Coming out of the media time out, the Jags answered back with four of the next five points to retake the lead, as Freeman led the charge with a pair of kills and a pair of block assists with Strandberg, the last giving South a 17-16 advantage
•    ASU led 22-21, but South Alabama pushed across three-unanswered points after a kill by Cerny, another block assists by Strandberg and Freeman, and an attack error by the Red Wolves to sit at set point
•    Whitlock though recorded a kill of her own and ASU then tied the set up (24-24) after a Jaguar attack error 
•    In extra points, both teams held set points, but tied (27-27), South committed a serving error and Haley Glunz then recorded a kill to clinch the 29-27 second-set win and give the Red Wolves the 29-27 win
•    Freeman led South with six kills and three blocks assists in the set, while Sarah Gooch added five kills of her own
•    Whitlock also had five kills for Arkansas State in the set

Set 3 – Arkansas State 25, South Alabama 
•    KEY MOMENT: Trailing by one midway through the set, Arkansas State rattled off seven unanswered points to take the lead for good
•    ASU took a three-point lead (9-6) early on in the third set after a solo block by Whitlock and a kill by Ozuna, but the Jags answered back with four of the next five points to tie the set back up at 10-10 after kills by Blackwell and Dittmar
•    With South Alabama leading 12-11, Collum helped score four-straight points for the Red Wolves and ignite a 7-0 run as she had a pair of kills and combined with Glunz on a pair of blocks
•    ASU capped off the run and took an 18-12 advantage after a Jag attack error
•    Jags battled back and pulled within two (21-19) after back-to-back kills by Blackwell and a kill by Gooch
•    Coming out of a time out though, Arkansas State regained momentum and pushed across three-straight points to hold match point
•    South Alabama was able to fight off a pair of points, but Whitlock sealed the win with her 14th kill of the night for the 25-21 win
•    Dittmar and Blackwell each had four kills, while ASU had four players – Whitlock, Collum, Devyn Lewis and Glunz each record three or more kills in the frame

Post-Match Notes
•    The meeting marked the 48th in the all-time series and the 23rd in Jonesboro
•    With her five kills in the second set, Gooch surpassed the 650-kill mark for her career as she now has 653 and 646 as a Jag 
•    With her 14 digs, Addison Hurst eclipsed the 650-dig mark for her career (658)
•    Cerny has had nine or more digs in 11 of her 17 matches this season
•    Dittmar has recorded six or more kills in 11 of her last 13 matches
•    Blackwell has had three or more total blocks 12 of her 17 matches
•    Blackwell has hit .353 or better in eight of her last 12

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out the series with the Red Wolves on Saturday with first serve set for 1 p.m.

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