Mountaineers Defeat Golden Eagles in Three Sets

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball is 2-0 at the Appalachian Invitational after sweeping Tennessee Tech in three sets with scores of 25-18, 25-14 and 25-17.

The first set featured 14 tied scores as both team struggled to maintain a lead. With the score tied at 13, the Mountaineers slowly began to pull away, leading for the rest of the set. Jacqui Spurgeon recorded a kill to make the score 23-16 before several mistakes by the Golden Eagles helped the Mountaineers to a 25-18 victory.

Appalachian immediately jumped out to 5-1 lead in the second set as the Mountaineers recorded four-straight kills. Tennessee Tech slowly began close the lead, trailing by only two points with a score of 9-7, but the Mountaineers completely took over from there, scoring 12 of the next 14 points for a 21-9 score. The run helped the Apps easily take the second set, 25-14.

The Mountaineers scored first in the third, but the Golden Eagles came back for revenge, scoring six of the next seven points for a 6-2 lead. Appalachian took their second lead of the set off a kill from Emily Corrigan to make the score 9-8. The Apps maintiained the lead for the rest of the set, scoring eight of the last ten points for a 25-17 win, taking the match 3-0.

Corrigan led the team in kills for the second-straight match, tallying 13, while Lauren Gray followed with nine kills of her own and a .643 hitting percentage.
Spurgeon recorded eight kills on the match as Jess Keller notched seven. Paige Brown recorded a match-high 37 assists, while Meghan Mahoney and Olivia Reed each had eight digs to lead the team.

Kellie Williams led Tennessee Tech with 13 kills and Courtney Smith controlled the team defensively with 13 digs.

Appalachian hit .364 on the match, while the Golden Eagles hit .180. Tennesse Tech took the edge in blocks, recording four, while App State had three.

The Mountaineers finish off the Appalachian Invitational tonight at 7 p.m. when they take on the Tennessee Lady Vols at the Holmes Center.

Appalachian State Domintates Lady Vols in Three Sets

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball went undefeated at the Appalachian Invitational after a victory against Tennessee, winning in three sets with scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-14.

The first set began with five tied scores as each team battled to maintain the lead. With the score tied at 7, Appalachian finally pulled ahead for good, scoring the next three points.

Although the Lady Vols stayed within one point for most of the set Appalachian continued to lead, eventually creating distance when they scored eight-straight points to pull ahead 22-13.

The Mountaineers finished off the first set off a Tennessee service error, taking the victory with a score of 25-15.

Appalachian looked as if they take the second set easily when they five-straight points to take a 11-3 lead at the beginning. Tennessee slowly crawled back, scoring 11 of the next 16 points to make the score 16-14. The Mountaineers were able to keep control the game, taking the third with a score of 25-21.

The Mountaineers immediately scored in the third set and were able to lead until the Lady Vols tied the score at seven.

From there the Mountaineers gained momentum, jumping out to a 13-9 lead. The Apps dominated the rest of the third set, scoring five-straight points and getting the 25-14 victory with a kill from Lauren Gray.

Emily Corrigan led the Mountaineers on offense for the third-straight match with 16 kills, while also adding eight digs on the night. Jess Keller followed with 13 kills of her own.
Paige Brown tallied a match-high 39 assists, while Meghan Mahoney led with a team-high 14 digs.

The Lady Vols were led by Jamie Lea, who tallied eight kills in the match, while Bridgette Villano recorded 14 digs.

The Mountaineers hit .351 in the match and Tennessee hit .147 as each team notched four blocks.

Corrigan was named the MVP of the tournament, while Keller and Brown were also named to the all-tournament team. Appalachian did not lose a set the entire weekend.

Appalachian Invitational All-Tournament Team
Emily Corrigan (MVP) - Appalachian State
Jess Keller - Appalachian State
Paige Brown - Appalachian State
Iesha Bryant - Tennessee
Bridgette Villano - Tennessee
Kellie Williams - Tennessee Tech
Ally Beck - Cleveland State

Bobcats Win Battle of the Big Cats

HOUSTON – Texas State took down the Houston Cougars in four sets (27-25, 11-25, 25-22, 25-21) to improve to 2-1 in the young season.

The Bobcats put on a scrappy performance and, sans a lapse in the second set, looked like the better team most of the day.

Freshman Lauren Kirch continued her impressive start to her career with an eye-popping 19 kills on a .586 hitting percentage to lead all players in the match. Shelby Vas Matt gave Kirch some offensive support with 15 kills and added 11 digs for her third double-double in as many matches.

Sophomore Kelsey Weynand added eight kills, most of which were timely, while Alexandra Simms and Amanda Watkins each added seven with Watkins hitting .316.

Libero Sierra Smith led the Bobcats in digs with 14 and played strongly throughout the entire weekend. She also added four assists in Saturday’s match. Also on the defensive side, the Bobcats tallied three blocks with high-flying Simms in on all of them.

Setter Jordan Moore ran the offense throughout most of the match and finished with 46 assists on Texas State’s 60 kills.

The Bobcats led Houston in most of the first set, but the Cougars tied it at 22-22 and took the lead, 23-22. From there, both teams traded points until Keeley Davis put down a kill to make it 26-25. Houston hit an error next to give Texas State the first set.

Houston rebounded to run away with the second set, 25-11, but Texas State stole another close one in the third. Down, 18-15, the Bobcats stormed back on a 6-1 run. Vas Matt put down two kills while Weynand and Simms hit one each, and Weynand added an ace in the run, one of five aces for Texas State on the day.

Trailing 21-19, Houston fought back to tie it at 22-22, but Texas State closed out strong with a kill each from Kirch and Simms. The 25-21 score in the fourth set made it seem closer than the set really was, as the Bobcats dominated most of it. Watkins and Simms punctuated Texas State’s impressive performance with a block for the final clinching point of the match.

Marcela Araya Breaks ULM’s Career Digs Record as Warhawks Split Doubleheader

Huntsville, Texas – On an afternoon that saw a new school record for career digs posted, the ULM Volleyball team (2-2) blanks SEC powerhouse Mississippi State Saturday to ensure a split for the second consecutive day at the SHSU Invitational from the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.

The Warhawks start the season with a 2-2 record for the second time in three seasons, taking down an SEC foe for the first time since 1996.

CUSB 3, ULM 0 - Game Three

Despite a record-breaking performance by ULM team captain Marcela Araya, the Warhawks were unable to collect their second triumph in as many matches after Cal State Bakerfield took a 3-0 decision (25-19, 25-22, 25-16) in the morning doubleheader.

"I'm honored and proud. It's a nice accomplishment,” Marcela Araya said. “I'm happy because I am enjoying what I'm doing and happy to be here playing for ULM."

During the opening set, Araya would register her fourth block to tie Cathy Trsar’s 16-year old record of 1,294 career digs before collecting a dig early in the second set to become the program’s record holder for most digs in a ULM uniform. The senior from Costa Rica finished with 14 digs on the match for her third straight double-digit mark to begin the 2014 season.

Although the Warhawks out-blocked the Roadrunners, the team was unable to get much going from an offensive perspective. ULM finished with 33 kills for the match to counteract CSUB’s 43 kills.

“We played well in set one and two but just like against Sam Houston, we gave away set two in the middle of the set after building a lead,” head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “It deflated us a bit and our passing broke down in set three. Down big in set three the girls showed great character in continuing to battle all the way to the end.”

Senior Alannah Cullum tuned in another fine performance from the middle. The Phoenix, Ariz. native recorded a phenomenal .500 hitting percentage after committing only two errors on 10 swings for a team-high seven kills and three blocks.

Freshman Bayleigh Hoffman chipped in with a team-high 24 assists to go with six digs, four kills and two blocks. Hope Pawlik added five kills, three digs and two blocks of her own from the outside hitter position.

ULM 3, Mississippi State 0 - Game Four

The victory marks the fourth win against Mississippi State and first versus an SEC school since a home triumph over Auburn in 1996. ULM dominated the Bulldogs 26-24, 25-18, 25-18 to secure its second split in as many days.

“We came into the match with confidence and it showed during the back and forth set one,” Hiltz added. “We had a couple of crazy points go our way and we’re able to win the set.”

ULM came up clutch late in the first set again to edge Mississippi State 26-24 and swing the momentum its way during the match. The Warhawks used that edge to gain an advantage they never relinquished en route to a pair of smooth 25-18 second and third set victories.

Sophomore Hadley Swartz asserted her dominance early before finishing with a match-high 17 kills to go with eight digs. Pawlik added 13 kills on an efficient .375 attack percentage.

Freshman Bayleigh Hoffman recorded her second career double-double after dropping 37 assists and 15 digs from the setter position. Araya continued her excellent play with another 23 digs and four assists.

“Set two was a clinic on defense for us. The girls picked up everything in sight and eventually we were able to get those digs turned into points. We played long, smart rallies and really showed maturity and patience,” Hiltz continued. “In set three we were able to exploit an advantage as Hope came alive and took advantage of a hole in their defense. Hadley was steady all match and was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.”

After splitting four decisions in their first tournament of the season, the Warhawks enjoy the week off before traveling to Conway, Ark. to play three matches at the UCA Tournament. ULM will open up with a doubleheader, Friday, Sept. 5 against Central Arkansas (12 p.m.) and Tulsa (5 p.m.) before clashing against Boise State (12 p.m.) the next day.

Be sure to follow the team socially on Twitter, Instagram (@ULM_VB) and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news, scores and highlights from the Warhawks throughout the season.

UALR Volleyball Sweeps Rider, Puts Scare Into No. 5 USC at Bankers Classic

STOCKTON, Calif. – The UALR volleyball team had a grueling start to the 2014 season, playing three full matches in under 24 hours. But the team ended its trip to the Pacific Bankers Classic on the right note, downing Rider University 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20) at the Alex G. Spanos Center on Saturday night.

Earlier in the day, UALR briefly put a scare into the nation’s fifth-ranked team before USC pulled away for a 3-1 (25-15, 13-25, 25-19, 25-13) win over UALR.

Edina Begic had a combined 31 kills on the day, moving to second place all-time at UALR with her 1,646th career kill in the fourth set against USC. She had a match-high 18 kills in that contest before adding 13 against Rider in the nightcap, and she was named to the Bankers Classic All-Tournament team at the end of the night. Junior Sonja Milanovic tied Begic for the team high with 13 kills against the Broncs.

Megan Mathis set a career high for the third consecutive match with 34 assists against Rider, and the Trojans were incredibly efficient on the attack for the entire match. The team ended the night hitting .381 with Begic going for her 13 kills on 21 attacks, Edina Selimovic getting seven kills on 10 attacks and even Mathis tallying a career-best six kills on seven attacks.

Begic earned a double-double with 12 digs to go along with her 13 kills, and Mathis had a double-double of her own with 10 digs and her 34 assists. Senior libero Capri Rino had the most digs on the team with 14.

The Trojans’ blocking game was also strong on the day as Selimovic tallied 10 total blocks while Carolee Dillard was not far behind with eight.

Against Rider (0-3), UALR (1-2) controlled the first set the entire time. UALR had a .412 hitting percentage in the frame with Begic notching five kills and five digs and Selimovic striking for four kills on just five attacks. UALR was ahead very early, taking a 7-2 lead in the first nine points. The Trojans then stretched their lead to seven points on a four-point service run from Rino. Begic and Selimovic spread their kills across the rest of the set with Dillard, Milanovic and Mathis adding a couple as well. The Trojans claimed the set 25-17 on a Selimovic kill and Mathis’ 12th assist of the night.

The second set saw more of the same as the Broncs were in a 6-2 hole early and used a timeout. They came within two points after the timeout at 9-7, but UALR stormed back with five of the next six points to reclaim a 14-8 advantage on a four-point Milanovic service run. Another Rider timeout followed, though it didn’t help Rider at all. UALR tallied the next two points on kills from Mathis and Selimovic and eventually coasted into the break with a 25-14 set win. Through two sets, the Trojans were hitting .393 and had 30 kills to Rider’s 17.

The third frame was the tightest of the match as UALR started out ahead 7-3 but Rider came back with five consecutive points to take their first lead of the night at 8-7. UALR took a timeout to regroup, and the timeout did the trick for the Trojans as they immediately regained the lead with four straight points. Rider got as close as one the rest of the set but was never again able to tie the match. UALR closed things out as Milanovic got the last three kills for the Trojans and they won the set 25-20.

Against USC, UALR fought very hard and was in danger of upsetting their Trojan counterparts midway through the third set. UALR finished with four times the number of blocks as USC had, with Selimovic having five assisted blocks and Dillard and Begic tallying three each. Milanovic had the second-most kills on the team with seven, and Mathis set a career high for the second consecutive match with 29 assists. Rino led the way with 16 digs while Milanovic had 12 and Mathis added 11.

UALR was not intimidated early on while facing down the nation’s No. 5 team. UALR took a 4-0 lead early in the set on two USC attack errors, a service ace by Selimovic and a Begic kill. The UALR lead stayed at four points through a 9-5 advantage, but that was when USC took over. USC scored six of the next eight points, tying the set at 11-11. From there, USC went on a 5-0 run to take a 16-11 lead before Begic broke the rally with a kill. UALR could not build any momentum off that kill, though, and USC claimed the set by 10 points, 25-15. Begic led the way for UALR with four kills in the set while Mathis had six assists and four digs.

UALR had a much better time in the second set as Begic continued to show why she was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Begic had seven kills in the set and added multiple blocks as well on the way to a decisive UALR set win.

The early part of the set was a back-and-forth affair with the teams tied at 7-7 early. From there, though, Begic had a kill and two blocks while Selimovic added another block as UALR took an 11-7 lead and forced a USC timeout. After the timeout USC made it 11-10, but UALR rattled off the next four points to put their lead at 16-11. The lead only grew after that with USC making multiple attacking and service errors and UALR getting kills from Begic, Selimovic and Milanovic on their way to a 25-13 win.

USC had a sizeable advantage early in the third set, taking a 5-1 lead and forcing a UALR timeout. That lead grew to five points at 10-5, but from there UALR got back into the set. Two Milanovic kills brought UALR back within two points at 10-8, and UALR got as close as one point at 16-15 and 17-16. But USC pulled away from there, going on a 6-2 run to take a 22-17 lead and eventually claim the set 25-19. During that set, Begic tied Amila Barakovic for second all-time at UALR with 1,625 career kills.

Begic broke that tie with Barakovic on the eighth point of the fourth set, and the teams were tied at 6-6 after 12 points. USC scored the next four points, though, and never led by fewer than three points in the rest of the set. Milanovic, Selimovic, Begic and Dillard each had kills throughout the set, but UALR could not string them together as USC clinched the match with a 25-13 set win.

With their trip to California behind them, the Trojans of UALR will return to the central time zone this week for their next pre-conference tournament. UALR plays in the TCU Nike Invitational in Fort Worth Texas where it will take on four different opponents. The Trojans’ first game comes on Friday at 10 a.m. against Miami.

Troy Volleyball Finishes Good Opening Weekend at 3-1

Clemson, South Carolina – The Troy volleyball team played two tight matches on Saturday and finished its opening weekend with a 3-1 record at the Big Orange Bash hosted by Clemson at Jervey Gym. After two wins on Friday, the Trojans defeated USC Upstate, 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 15-9), before falling to Clemson, 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 26-24, 25-19).

The Trojans (3-1) dominated the fourth and fifth sets against USC Upstate to come from behind in that match. After winning the first set against Clemson for the second straight season, Troy saw the Tigers make big runs at the end of the final three sets in a hard fought match.

Marija Zelenovic and Blair Winston were named to the Big Orange Bash All-Tournament team. Zelenovic averaged 3.46 kills/set and hit .279, while Winston averaged 2.93 kills/set and hit .291 on the weekend.

The Trojans return to action on Monday when they host Southern Miss at Trojan Arena at 1 p.m. Troy will also host the Trojan Invitational beginning on Thursday when Mercer, Jacksonville State and Alabama A&M visit Trojan Arena.

TROY 3, USC UPSTATE 2

The Trojans dropped the first set, their first lost set of the young season, but rebounded to take a 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 15-9) win from USC Upstate in the Trojans’ third match of the weekend.

After hitting over .400 in both of Friday’s matches, Troy hit .275 in Saturday’s opening match. That mark would’ve tied for the third best percentage a season ago. Troy had just 15 attack errors in the match.

The Trojans dominated the three sets they won, including the fifth when they scored six straight to take an early 7-2 lead that the Spartans (1-2) couldn’t overcome.

Zelenovic led three Trojans in double-figure kills with 18. Winston posted 14 with just three errors on 25 attempts for a .440 attack percentage. Symone Shaw recorded 12 kills and just three errors.

Troy dominated the front line and tied a rally-scoring era, school record with 15.0 total team blocks. Kiah Cheatham led the way with eight blocks while Darby Griff had six.

Tineille Waggoner recorded 34 assists, mostly in the first three sets. True freshman Reina Terry made her debut for the Trojans and recorded most of her 18 assists in the fourth and fifth sets.

Ali Dowdall posted a team-high 18 digs while Madeleine Bouillion posted 14 and Kelley Curran recorded 12.

CLEMSON 3, TROY 1

Troy and Clemson faced off in the final match of the Big Orange Bash on Saturday evening with the tournament title on the line. Troy won the first set, but Clemson won the match of unbeaten teams, 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 26-24, 25-19).

The Tigers (4-0) won seven of the final nine points in the second set, the last four points in the third set and the final five points in the fourth set to take three tight sets. In the second set, Troy had two set points, up 24-22, before Clemson scored four straight.

Winston led the Trojans with 13 kills while Zelenovic posted 10. However, the pair combined for 17 of Troy’s 30 attack errors, more than the team had in the first three matches of the weekend combined.

Terry made her first start of the season for the Trojans and recorded 36 assists. Dowdall again led the way on the back line with 15 digs, while Terry posted the Trojans’ first double-double of the season with 10 digs.

Troy again posted double-digit team blocks, this time with 13.0, led by Zelenovic’s six and five apiece from Cheatham and Griff.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook at YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.

A-State Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision to Auburn

WASHINGTON, D.C. (8/30/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball squad fell to the Auburn Tigers 3-0 (21-25, 20-25, 16-25) Saturday during the final day of the George Washington Invitational in Washington, D.C.

The Red Wolves (0-3) got off to a fantastic start in the first set by racing out to a 10-2 lead over Auburn (2-1). The Tigers cut into the A-State lead and got within two points at 13-11, but the Red Wolves increased their lead to 18-13 after a Jessica Uke kill and Auburn attack error. However, Auburn erased the deficit with a 6-1 run to tie the set at 19-19 and then ended the game on a 6-2 run to earn a 25-21 set victory over the Red Wolves.

Trailing 1-0, A-State fell behind 13-9 in the second set, but went on a 5-1 run to tie the set up at 14-14 on a Shelby Holmes kill. The Red Wolves fought to within one point at 19-18 later in the set, but Auburn ended the game on another 6-2 run to earn a 25-20 second set victory. In the third set,

Auburn took an early 13-7 lead, but a 4-0 A-State run cut the deficit to two at 13-11. The Red Wolves couldn’t get any closer than that and the Tigers used a 12-5 run to win the third set 25-16 and earn the 3-0 match victory over Arkansas State.

Holmes led the Red Wolves with 10 kills, while Mallory Warrington handed out 21 assists and registered 15 digs to record her third straight double-double. Defensively, Markie Schaedig led A-State with 19 digs and Kelsey Reis had three blocks.

Arkansas State returns to action Friday, Sept. 5 in the Memphis Invitational against UT Martin. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Georgia State Falls to UAB in Four Sets

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Georgia State (1-2) fell to UAB (2-1) in the Panthers’ final match of the UAB/Samford Challenge on Saturday. The Panther volleyball team won the first set before dropping the final three to the Blazers. UAB won the fourth set 25-23 after Georgia State scored five of the last seven points.

Junior Eliza Zachary led the Panthers with 11 kills and five blocks. Senior Andrea Book added seven kills of her own while freshman Sydney Mauer and junior Natalia Nieto combined for 38 assists.

“We’re leaving this tournament a better team than when we came in,” head coach Sally Polhamus said. “It really comes down to playing every point with high energy while still executing our system.”

UAB started off strong and jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the first set. The Panthers rallied after a Polhamus timeout and took a 15-11 lead after scoring seven-straight points. UAB would continue to put pressure on the Panthers, pulling within two multiple times. GSU extended its lead to 21-18 and the Blazers called a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Panthers made it a 24-20 contest before the Blazers made a run to cut the lead to 24-23. After tying the set at 24, the Blazers dropped the first set on a service error followed by a service ace by junior Natalia Nieto. Senior Andrea Book led all players with four kills in the first set on .600 hitting. Zachary led the Panthers with three blocks and Mauer totaled seven assists.

The two teams continued to trade points to begin the second set. UAB would pull away using a 5-1 run to lead 9-6 before Polhamus called a timeout. Book and junior Deidra Bohannon kept GSU within striking distance and the Panthers pulled within a couple points several times. The Blazers had an answer for each run and took the second set 25-18.

The Blazers got off to a hot start in the third set. Five-straight UAB points put the team in green on top 7-2 to force a GSU timeout. The Panthers came back and scored five-straight points of their own to take a 13-12 lead. The Blazers responded with another run to retake a lead and push it to 20-15. UAB won the set and took a 2-1 advantage in the match using a 9-2 run.

A five-point run by the Blazers gave them a 9-6 advantage in the fourth set after Georgia State took an early lead. The set continued to go UAB’s way. Four-straight attack errors by Georgia State helped push the Blazers’ lead to 14-6. Georgia State stayed resilient and made a final push to pull within one before the Blazers took the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.

NOTING THE PANTHERS…
• Freshman Kaylyn Torain makes her first appearance in a Georgia State uniform. Torain would finish the match with six kills on nine attempts and led Georgia State in hitting at .667.
• Freshman Sydney Mauer led the team in assists with 25 and junior Natalia Nieto added 13 of her own.
• Junior Gabby Serafin and Mauer recorded 14 and 10 digs, respectively.
• Brianna Jones hit .571 on seven attempts with five kills.
• Deidra Bohannon, Kaylyn Torain, Kristina Stinson, Andrea Book, and Eliza Zachary each had five or more kills.

UP NEXT… Georgia State will play its first home match of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 3 when the Panthers host Western Carolina in the GSU Sports Arena at 6 p.m. ET.

Idaho Tops Georgia Southern 3-1

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Katelyn Peterson led four Vandals in double-figure kills with 18 to go along with 12 digs as Idaho topped Georgia Southern 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 26-24) in non-conference volleyball action in the Active Ankle Challenge at the University of Florida Saturday.

Jamie DeRatt led Georgia Southern (0-3) with a match-high 19 kills, while Kym Coley added 11 kills and three blocks, earning all-tournament honors. Katie Bange posted 10 kills and a career-high 17 digs, and Kat Minnerly collected 44 assists and 11 digs.

Alyssa Schultz logged 11 kills and four blocks, and Ali Forde tallied 10 kills and 12 digs for Idaho (1-2). Becca Mau posted 10 kills, and Meredith Coba collected 49 assists.

Leading 1-0 in the match, Georgia Southern overcame an 18-11 deficit in the second set. The Eagles ran off nine straight points, with DeRatt logging two kills, to take a 20-18 lead. The Eagles pushed the margin to 24-21 on another DeRatt kill, but Idaho scored the next five points to take the set and tie the match 1-1. Mau and Stephanie Hagins combined for two big blocks, and Mau capped the set with a kill.

Down 2-1 in the match, the Eagles opened a 16-12 cushion in the fourth set after Avery Stephens served an ace and DeRatt put down a kill. The Vandals answered with a 9-1 run, capped by a Mau kill, to take a 21-17 lead. Georgia Southern rallied to tie the score at 23-23 and again at 24-24, but Hagins got a kill for Idaho and an Eagle hitting error finished the match.

“It was a tough weekend in terms of wins and losses, but it showed where we are as a program,” said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. “We will work on the things we need to and get stronger with the things we did well. We are just lacking consistency through sets and matches. We’re still working out lineup and personnel kinks, and we will have people coming back from injury in the next two weeks, so it will help our gym.”

Georgia Southern returns to action with three matches in a tournament at Colorado next weekend. The Eagles meet Pitt in their first match of the weekend Friday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Jag Volleyball drops two matches on Saturday

MALIBU, Calif. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team used strong third-set performances in each of its matches on Saturday, but those weren't enough to influence losses to Oral Roberts and Nevada on in the final day at the Pepperdine Asics Classic.

The Jaguars (0-3) bounced back from 25-20 and 25-21 sets to Oral Roberts in the noon contest, but could not capitalize on a 15-12 run to push the match to a fifth set, while Nevada stifled USA early in set four to diminish any chance of a comeback in the evening contest.

USA sophomore outside hitter Jessica Lewis combined for 28 kills on Saturday, while redshirt-senior libero Jenna Hassell moved to third on the South Alabama career digs list, ahead of former Jaguar standout Shannon VanAntwerp, with 1,289 all-time in the two losses.

Lauren Milos paced Oral Roberts in the first set of the first match with 29 kills, with Sarah Pope and Sadie Schaffner following with 10 apiece, while Mechell Daniel led the Jaguars with 13, Nikki Gittens and Lewis checking in with 12 each each for USA.

Milos's service ace at 22-20 spurred Oral Roberts to three straight points in the first set, and her kill while three points ahead of USA (24-21) in the following set sparked a second-set win. USA earned as much as a seven-point lead (22-17) in the fourth set versus Oral Roberts, but Gittens and Schaffner combined for four kills to finish off the match.

Nevada jumped to a 6-1 lead in the first set of match two on Saturday and sustained for a 25-21 win, going on to win sets two and four by differences of 12 and 11 points apiece.

Nevada's Donna Greely committed a service error to put USA ahead, 16-15, in the third set of match two to break a 15-15 deadlock, spurring the Jag on to a 25-22 set win. Nevada's Sam Willoughby was on serve for eight points in the final set, which determined the match.

USA returns to action next week with three matches at the University of Wyoming Classic versus Wyoming, Montana and Ball State in Laramie, Wyoming.