JAGS DEFEAT EAGLES TO REMAIN PERFECT IN SBC PLAY
STATESBORO, Ga. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team swept Georgia Southern in straight sets (25-14, 25-23, 25-21) Friday in Sun Belt Conference action at Hanner Fieldhouse.
USA (12-5, 7-0 SBC) extended its SBC winning streak to seven matches with the victory, while also claiming its fourth straight road win dating back to the SBC opener at Texas State on Sept. 22 in San Marcos, Texas. The Jaguars improved their advantage in the all-time series with Georgia Southern to
South Alabama will return to action Saturday when it faces Georgia State in a SBC contest at 5 p.m. (CT) in Atlanta.
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama recorded a .458 team hitting percentage in the opening set with 14 kills and just three errors on 24 total attacks.
- The Jaguars recorded 12 total team blocks, marking their third consecutive match with 10 or more team blocks.
- USA recorded 43 total digs in three sets, led by Abby Baker who finished with 11 in addition to four assists and one service ace.
- Georgia Southern finished with a .109 team hitting percentage after committing 20 errors on 101 total attacks.
- The win marked the Jaguars second of the season over the Eagles after USA swept the Eagles in straight sets in the first meeting of the season on Sept. 30 in Mobile.
NOTES
- Iva Durdanovic led the Jaguars with 11 kills while also recording a .320 hitting percentage, two assists, one service ace, four digs and three block assists.
- Meghan Jones tied a career-high with six kills, and posted a .417 hitting percentage and four block assists.
- Ashlyn Roberts led the Jaguars with 17 assists, and also added two service aces and six digs.
- Parker Harrell finished with 11 assists along with one kill, one service ace and nine digs.
- Kelley Hartman recorded six kills, two service aces, four digs, one solo block and seven block assists.
QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the keys to the win:
"I thought we came out and set a really good tone in the first set. Meaghan Jones had a start tonight, and was incredible at the beginning of that set. I thought we executed beautifully in the first set. We fell behind in the second set 15-6, and for our team to kind of dig deep and win that set was a really big piece to us being able to win in three set."
- On the team's focus:
"At the beginning of the season, we just had to build our chemistry. We're still a young team, but through these last few weeks we've been able to play and rely on multiple people. I don't feel like we have one person who is carrying us every night, so I think it makes us hard to defend being that we're a well-rounded, balanced offense that doesn't just rely on one person."
- On things she wants to carry over to tomorrow's match at Georgia State:
"I thought our execution in the first set was incredible, and you're not going to get that every match. But I do think we lost focus in our execution in the second set. We were able to pull it out tonight, but that's not something we want to rely on. We just need to focus on executing consistently."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Saturday when it faces Georgia State in a SBC contest at 5 p.m. (CT) in Atlanta.
Louisiana Triumphant in Five-Set Thriller in Little Rock
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team prevailed in a tight battle with Little Rock on Friday at the Jack Stephens Center to remain undefeated in Sun Belt play and extend their current win streak to nine matches.
The Ragin' Cajuns (14-7, 7-0 SBC) and Trojans (6-14, 2-6 SBC) were separated by a total of three points – the margin of Louisiana's victory in the decisive fifth set.
With the 3-2 (27-25, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12) triumph Louisiana completed the season sweep of Little Rock. The Cajuns won in four sets at Earl K. Long Gym back on Sept. 30.
The Ragin' Cajuns .300 hitting percentage over the first two sets (29 K, 5 E, 80 TA) carried them to a 2-0 lead in the match. The Trojans took advantage of nine attack errors by Louisiana in the third set win to stay alive, then turned the tables with a set-ending 10-3 run in the fourth frame to force the winner-take-all stanza.
Paced by a .375 hitting percentage in the fifth set, Louisiana never trailed on the way to clinching the match. Stacey Reilly's season-high 20th kill of the match gave the Cajuns a three-point edge, 13-10, and later it was freshman Hali Wisnoskie scoring match point off a kill on an overpass.
Nine straight wins is Louisiana's lengthiest win streak since opening 10-0 in the 2014 season. The school record unblemished conference start, besting the previous mark of 4-0 by the 1986 team, was extended to 7-0.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Reilly reached 20 kills for the first time this season and pushed her career total to 958 which moves her past Lesley Mirarchi into second place on the rally era career list. In the last visit of her career to Little Rock, she equaled her output from the trip in her freshman campaign (20 kills on Oct. 10, 2014).
Wisnoskie established her Sun Belt benchmark for the second straight outing, landing 17 kills on a .298 hitting percentage. The Columbus, Texas, native pushed her season kills total over 200, becoming the first freshman since Reilly (250 in 2014) to reach the mark.
The middle blocking tandem of Dree'Ana Abram (11 kills, .333 pct.) and Nia Antoine (10 kills, .300 pct.) each reached double digits in kills and hit above .300. Right side hitter Hanna Rovira supplied an additional eight kills.
Louisiana out-blocked Little Rock once again, 11-10, receiving a match-high seven (1 BS, 6 BA) from Abram and three apiece from Antoine, Jessica Bartczyszyn and Rovira.
Libero Sydney Davis' match-high 31 digs also represented her season-high total. Freshmen Lexi Hebert (15) and Avery Breaux (12) also scooped double figures.
UP NEXT
Louisiana wraps up its weekend trip to Arkansas on Sunday in Jonesboro. The Ragin' Cajuns and Red Wolves are slated to meet at Noon inside the Convocation Center.
@AStateVB Earns 3-0 Win Over ULM
JONESBORO, Ark. (10/13/17) – The Arkansas State volleyball team registered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) victory over ULM Friday night at the Convocation Center for its second straight league victory.
A-State (12-9, 5-3 SBC) out hit the Warhawks (4-20, 0-7) .186 to .118 and had five service aces with only one error while ULM only had one ace and eight errors. Carlisa May led the Red Wolves with 10 kills, while Madison Turner recorded eight kills on a .615 hitting percentage with four blocks, all career highs, in her first career start. Kenzie Fields picked up a team-best 17 digs, while Ellie Watkins handed out 31 assists.
“I’m glad to get the win,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “That said, we can play much better than we did and I’m disappointed in some aspects of the match, but also satisfied with some of it too. I thought Turner played well and was proud of her.”
The first set was close early with the scored tied 13-13, but A-State used an 8-3 run to create some separation at 21-16. ULM got within 22-19 before the Red Wolves ended the frame on a 3-1 run, capped by a kill from May, to give the home team a 25-20 win in set one.
The second set started much the same as the first with the score knotted 16-16 before a 6-3 run by A-State put the score at 22-19. Arkansas State ended game two on a 3-0 run, with all three points being blocks, to win the frame 25-19. The first was by Timber Terrell and Fields followed by one from Terrell and May before the final was a solo block by May.
The third set went much the same as the second with the score tied at 16-16 again before a 5-2 A-State run put the home team on top 21-16. The Red Wolves extended the edge to 24-17 on an ace by Fields, but the Warhawks scored three straight to get within 24-20. However, a kill by May quelled any thought of a comeback and gave A-State a 25-20 set win and 3-0 match triumph.
Arkansas State returns to action Sunday, Oct. 15 against Louisiana-Lafayette. First serve from the Convocation Center is set for 12:00 p.m.
Trojans Take Down Georgia State in Five-Setter
ATLANTA, Georgia – The Trojans battled in another five setter against the Georgia State Panthers, taking the victory 3-2 at the GSU Sports Arena on Friday night.
Troy (7-15, 2-6 SBC) got out in front early winning the first set 25-19. Both teams battled back and forth until Troy went on a six-point run to take a 20-17 lead. Another four-point run from the Trojans closed out the first set to give Troy the momentum with a 1-0 match lead.
The Panthers (8-12, 2-5) rallied back in the second set, posting a match-high .308 hitting percentage, but the Trojans stayed on their heels with a strong .265 hitting percentage of their own.
Troy came back taking set three with another 25-19 decision recording a .281 attack percentage, its highest of the match. The Trojans won six of the last seven points as a Bethany Cullity kill sealed the deal for Troy to regain the 2-1 lead in the match.
The Panthers refused to go down without a fight winning set four 25-21 to tie things up again. Troy stayed close the entire set and tied the game at 16-16 before the Panthers were able to break away with the win.
An exciting fifth set kept the score neck-and-neck, until Troy was able to go on a four-point run to tie the match at 11-11 to swing the momentum in its favor. A kill from Savannah Moore and a Georgia State attack error handed the Trojans their second conference win of the season.
Moore had another big game for the Trojans with 13 kills, a .400 attack percentage and 15 points. Cheyenne Hayes continued to impress, posting a double-double with 12 kills and a career-high 17 digs.
NOTEWORTHY
Four Trojans posted double-digit kills, Hayes, Logan Page, Jenni Young and Moore.
The match included 45 tie scores and 16 lead changes.
Trojans posted six service aces during the match; senior Avalon Nero lead with three, followed by Kiara Barrett with two.
Both of Troy's Sun Belt wins have been five-set victories against Georgia State.
UP NEXT
Troy returns home to host Alabama State in a midweek match up on Tuesday at 6:30 in the Trojan Arena before hosting Arkansas State and Little Rock on Friday and Saturday at 6:30. All matches will be broadcast on ESPN 3. Admission to all Troy volleyball games is free.
TXST posts 10th-straight home win over UTA
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team registered a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-17) victory over rival UTA in a Sun Belt Conference match Friday night inside Strahan Coliseum.
The triumph was the seventh in a row for the Bobcats (15-7, 6-1 SBC), who also tallied their 10th consecutive win over the Mavericks (8-12, 2-5 SBC) at home. The maroon and gold have also swept each of their last six league bouts, which remains the longest such streak since 2000.
Sophomore Amy Pflughaupt ended the evening with her sixth double-double of the campaign after tallying 10 kills and 10 digs. Fellow sophomore Megan Porter had a match-high 12 kills and seven digs, while setting a new career high with three service aces. Senior Jaliyah Bolden compiled 10 kills, sophomore Micah Dinwiddie anchored the backline with a season best three-set total of 22 digs, and senior Erin Hoppe piloted the offense with 29 assists.
The first set was captured by Texas State 25-19 after the maroon and gold closed the frame on a 7-1 run. The two sides breezed through the majority of the game, with neither side able to swing ahead by more than three points. There was only one lead change, but the first set saw eight ties. The final draw came at 18-18. Porter then proceeded to serve out the next six points, with the final tally coming by way of a Bolden kill.
UTA quickly raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second period, but Texas State flipped the momentum to pull ahead 10-6. TXST later found a 20-14 advantage, but the Mavericks climbed back into a narrow 22-20 deficit. The home side was able to survive the second-set scare, however, to claim the set 25-21.
The third frame was never in doubt as Texas State was able to close out its rival in straights. The Bobcats turned a narrow 12-10 advantage into a 19-12 lead that eventually led to the eight-point triumph.
No Maverick reached double-digit kills. The visitors were led by nine kills and eight digs from Kylie Jedlicka. Haley Higgins and Madison Helt had 12 assists each, and Libbie Vickers posted 18 digs.
The Bobcats led in kills (48-30), attack percentage (.272-.168), assists (46-28), service aces (4-1), and digs (57-41). UTA had a match high in blocks (5-3).
Texas State will remain home for a pair of matches next weekend against the Sun Belt schools hailing from Georgia. First up will be a 6:30 p.m. contest Oct. 20 against Georgia Southern. The two-day swing will conclude with a match against Georgia State at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21.
Hardeman Climbs CCU Career Kills List as Coastal Downs App State
CONWAY - Leah Hardeman moved into second place among Coastal Carolina's all-time kills leaders Friday night as the Chanticleer volleyball team topped Appalachian State in four sets (25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21) at the HTC Center.
Hardeman's 30 kills against the Mountaineers brings her Coastal career total to 1,593, surpassing Katherine Jensen-Spencer (2003-05). She now trails only Chelsy Kimes (2007-10), who holds the Coastal Carolina kills record with 1,807.
Coastal improves to 9-7, 6-1 with the victory, while App State falls to 7-14, 2-5.
It is the second time this season that Hardeman has recorded 30 or more kills, and the fourth time she has surpassed 20 kills. The senior outside hitter also tallied 12 digs for her 12th double-double of the season.
Kinga Windisch also finished in double-double territory with 13 kills and 13 digs, as did Sara Boothe with 19 digs and a match-leading 46 assists.
Coastal posted seven team blocks and 86 digs to limit App State to a .199 hitting percentage. Hardeman had four of Coastal's blocks while Dora Lulic accounted for three. Sydney Alvis paced the Chants with 26 digs.
Coastal opened the match hitting .278 in the first, and overcame just one deficit as it out-paced App State by eight points for the set win.
Hardeman put down nine kills in the second set, but it was not enough as App State posted a .318 hitting percentage -- its highest of the match -- and recorded three blocks to edge the Chants by a slim three-point margin.
The lead never shifted away from the home side in the third set as the Chants came out of the intermission with an efficient .359 hitting percentage. An early 6-1 CCU run put the Chants comfortably in front, 13-6, allowing them to cruise to the end of the game with a sizeable margin.
The final set proved to be the most tightly contested as the score was evened 11 times. Coastal held a slight edge in hitting percentage, however, operating at a .282 pace compared to App's .238. Hardeman once again put down nine kills in the game, including a pair of shots that landed during a 5-1 Coastal run that broke a 16-16 tie, the final deadlock of the game.
Coastal and App complete their home-and-home series on Sunday, with first serve set for 12:30 pm in Boone, N.C.