CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? Coming off a pair of victories to begin the 2008 season, the South Alabama volleyball team will look to continue its strong start this weekend when the Jags compete at the Country Inn & Suites Challenge hosted by UT-Chattanooga at Maclellan Gym.
USA (2-0) will open tournament play Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. when it takes on Central Michigan at 5 p.m. The Jags will then return to action on Saturday with a pair of matches, beginning the day with the host Mocs at Noon and then Alabama A&M at 2 p.m. Live stats can be accessed at www.gomocs.com or www.usajaguars.com.
The Jags come into the UTC tournament after picking up a dominant 3-0 (25-6, 25-10, 25-10) victory over Spring Hill Wednesday afternoon.
In the win, the Jags were paced offensively by Hristina Markova and Tereza Bendlova, who each recorded double-digit kill tallies with 10 and 11, respectively. Juliana Almeida and Brittany Blackwelder also finished with seven kills apiece. All four Jags .455 or better en route to leading USA to setting a new school record with a .545 percentage as a team. The new mark eclipses the previous high of .500, set in a 3-0 Jag victory at Southern last season. As a team, the Jags also dominated the serve-receive category, recording 10 aces to none by Spring Hill.
South Alabama has use a balanced attack so far this season as tour players are averaging two kills per set or better. Markova leads the way with 2.86 per contest, while Blackwelder is close behind her with 2.57 and Lindsay Schwartz and Almeida with 2.14 apiece. Freshman libero Samia Salomao paces the club with a 5.43 digs per set average.
Central Michigan enters the match with the Jags and the UTC tourney with a 2-1 record. Last weekend, the Chippewas picked up a pair of 3-0 victories over Maryland and North Carolina State at the VCU/Third Degree Sportswear Invitational hosted by Virginia Commonwealth. The lone loss at the Ram tournament was a tough 3-2 defeat to Liberty.
For her efforts in the opening week, senior outside hitter Whitney Evers was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week. Evers registered 41 kills in just 11 sets for a 3.73 kps average, while also hitting .500 in the three matches. She registered a team-high five aces and was named to the All-Tournament team.
Fellow senior outside hitter Kate Fissel also had an impressive weekend, recording 44 kills for a 4.00 kps average. Defensively, libero Alexis Lonneman paces the club with 4.73 digs per contest.
The meeting between South Alabama and Central Michigan at the Country Inn & Suites Tournament the second ever between the two programs. The only other meeting between USA and CMU (1-0) came when, the Chippewas defeated the Jags 3-0 (30-27, 30-18, 30-24) at the Loco’s Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. during the 2006 season.
Saturday’s two opponents UTC and Alabama A&M each enter tournament play with an 0-3 mark on the young season.
The Mocs dropped their first three matches of the season last weekend at the Marquette Kickoff Tourney in Wisconsin. UTC was swept by both Tennessee and Marquette before falling 3-1 to Houston. The Mocs will take on Alabama A&M on Friday before facing the Jags.
Ashley Yeager leads the team in the kill department with a 1.70 kps average, while Ellie Kuhn and Stephanie Harville are close behind her at 1.25 per match. Senior Laura Newberry is the defensive specialist in the backcourt, recording 4.00 digs per set after one week of play.
Prior to the start of the season, Newberry was named to the Preseason All-Southern Conference Team. Last year, the Chattanooga native set the NCAA single-season dig record with 942, and is only 392 digs away from setting the NCAA career record of 2,791. She was also named the 2007 Libero of the Year by the Southern Conference, as well as by College Volleyball Update.
Last weekend, the Lady Bulldogs were swept by Memphis, McNeese State and Sun Belt Conference member UALR at the Memphis Invitational. AAMU will face UTC and Central Michigan prior to taking on the Jaguars.
The Lady Bulldogs are led offensively by freshman Makeda Moore (2.56 kps) and junior Madinah Abdullah (2.11 kps).
Last season, Alabama A&M captured the SWAC Championship and earlier this season, was picked to capture the East Division title. Brittani Lewis and setter Natalie Rodriguez were First Team All-SWAC selections while Madinah Abdulah and Rose Corneille collected second team honors. Corneille was also chosen as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Lewis was tabbed as the Preseason Offensive Player of the year in the SWAC.
The meetings this weekend between both UT-Chattanooga and Alabama A&M will be the first for the Jags.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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