University of South Alabama Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? The University of South Alabama women’s volleyball team will look to continue its winning ways this weekend when the Lady Jags compete at the 2006 FSU Invitational.  USA will open play Friday at 4:30 (ET) when they take on Eastern Illinois at Lucy McDaniel Court at Tully Gymnasium.  On Saturday, the Jaguar women will face tournament host Florida State at 10 a.m. (ET) and then take on Stetson at 4:30 p.m. (ET).  Live stats and audio for the contest against FSU can be accessed at seminoles.cstv.com.

“The exciting thing about last weekend was that we were successful and didn’t play as well as we could have,” said South Alabama women’s volleyball head coach.  “W did get better each match as the tournament went on and I look for that same thing to happen this weekend, that we will get better and better each match.  I look for us to correct the mistakes we made last weekend and improve in areas that we have worked on.  With the strong field at this tournament, I am also anxious to see if our girls will rise to the occasion and play at a different level.”

LAST TIME OUT:  The South Alabama women’s volleyball team opened the 2006 season with a pair of wins in Macon, Ga.  In the season opener, the Jags dropped the first game 22-30 to Mississippi Valley State, but rebounded to take the next three 30-20, 30-18, 30-28.  Newcomers Lauren Robbins and Kayln Hundley led the way for USA.   Five players recorded at least seven kills or more, paced by Robbins 13.  Also recording double digits were Hundley and Jenna Swilley with 11 each.  Robbins also accounted for 12 digs and five aces in match one.  Match two of the day saw USA once again drop the opening game but bounce back to take the final three en route to another 3-1 (19-30, 34-32, 30-19, 30-21) victory over Mercer.  USA placed three players in double digit kills, led by Swilley and Brittany Blackwelder with 19 each.

SCOUTING THE LADY PANTHERS:  Eastern Illinois enters the FSU Invitational coming off a season-opening win at Indiana State on Tuesday night.  The Panthers won the match 3-2 (30-32, 30-28, 30-25, 19-30, 15-8) and were led offensively by Caitlin Balsam’s career-high 20 kills.  Kara Sorenson and Maren Crabtree were named to the Ohio Valley Preseason Second Team All-conference team.  The Panthers collectively were picked fifth in the 11-team preseason poll.

EASTERN ILLINOIS AND THE OVC VERSUS THE LADY JAGS: The meeting this weekend between South Alabama and Eastern Illinois will be the first between the two programs.  USA is 15-12 versus current Ohio Valley Conference opponents all-time with a majority of the meetings coming against in-state foe Samford. (2-0 vs. Jacksonville State, 1-1 vs. Morehead State, 1-1 vs. Murray State, 9-8 vs. Samford, 0-1 vs. Tennessee-Martin, and 2-1 vs. Tennessee Tech).  The Jags have never faced Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri or Tennessee State. 

SCOUTING THE LADY ?NOLES: Florida State comes home to the friendly confines of Lucy McDaniel Court at Tully Gymnasium to entertain Stetson at 7 p.m. on Friday.  Last weekend, FSU won both its first two matches by a score of 3-0, defeating both Mississippi Valley State (30-13, 30-10, 30-18) and Mercer (30-18, 30-28, 30-17) in Macon, Ga.  Freshman Malorie Wessel leads the team offensively, averaging 4.20 kills per game.  On the defensive side, the Seminoles have four players averaging at least 1.00 blocks per contest or more and junior defensive specialist Summer Weissing is averaging 3.50 digs per game. 

FLORIDA STATE AND THE ACC VERSUS THE LADY JAGS:  USA and Florida State have met on 10 other occasions with the Seminoles taking all 10 meetings.  The last meeting in the series came in 2004 when the Jag women participated in the FSU Invitational.  The Noles took that meeting 3-0.  South Alabama is 0-7 in Tallahassee versus FSU and 0-3 versus the Noles at their home tourney and 2-9 all-time at the FSU Invitational.  USA is 2-12 all-time versus current ACC opponents (1-2 vs. Clemson, 0-10 vs. Florida State, and 1-0 vs. Georgia Tech).  South Alabama has never faced ACC members Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Virginia Tech or Wake Forest.

SCOUTING THE LADY HATTERS: Stetson enters tournament action with a 0-3 mark.  The Hatters competed at the UCF Invitational last weekend and lost 3-0 to Central Florida (30-14, 30-19, 30-26), Florida International (30-13, 30-18, 30-20) and BYU (30-13, 30-20, 30-25).  Junior outside hitter Beth Slabaugh and sophomore outside hitter Rebecca Orzechowicz lead Stetson with 2.11 kpg each.

STETSON AND THE A-SUN VERSUS THE LADY JAGS:  USA and Stetson have met on eight other occasions with Stetson holding a 5-3 advantage in the series.  South Alabama has lost the last two meetings of the series.  USA and Stetson met last season at the Charleston Southern Tournament with the Hatters winning 3-1.  The Jags took the first game 30-20 but lost the final three.  USA and the Hatters also met the last time South Alabama competed at the FSU Invitational, that meeting coming in 2004 when Stetson won 3-0.  South Alabama is 0-4 versus the Hatters on a neutral court.  The Jags are 18-21-1 all-time versus current opponents from the A-Sun (1-0 vs. Campbell, 1-0 vs. Gardner-Webb, 11-14-1 vs. Jacksonville, 2-1 vs. Mercer, 0-1 vs. North Florida and 3-5 vs. Stetson).  USA has never faced A-Sun members Belmont, East Tennessee State, Kennesaw State or Lipscomb.