South Alabama 3, Troy 0
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team swept Troy in straight sets (25-17, 25-11, 25-21) Wednesday in Sun Belt Conference action at Jag Gym.
USA (10-5, 5-0 SBC) recorded a .321 team hitting percentage on 84 total attacks, while defensively the Jaguars posted a double-digit block total for the 10th time this season after turning in 10 in Wednesday's win. South Alabama extended its winning streak to five matches, and increased its advantage in the all-time series with Troy to 42-27.
South Alabama will return to action Sat., Oct. 7, when it travels to Troy, Ala., for a 4 p.m. SBC contest with Troy.
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama used a 5-0 scoring run in the opening set to take a 19-13 lead.
- The Jags earned set point in the opening set on a kill by Iva Durdanovic for a 24-16 advantage, and clinched the set on a kill by Kelley Hartman for a 25-17 win.
- Durdanovic and Hartman led the Jags with three kills apiece in the first set.
- South Alabama posted a .375 team hitting percentage in the opening set.
- USA opened the second set with a 4-0 scoring run, and took a 5-1 lead into the first timeout of the set by the Trojans. The Jags held a 9-6 lead early in set two before going on a 5-0 scoring run to push their advantage to 14-6.
- A 3-0 scoring run by USA late in the second set, highlighted by kills from Morgan Stalcup, Kristina Alabastro and service ace by Parker Harrell gave the Jags a 23-11 lead. Consecutive Trojan ball-handling errors gave the Jags set two at 25-11.
- Hartman led USA with four kills in the second set while also recording one solo block and three block assists.
- South Alabama posted five total team blocks in set two, and also hit .296 as a team.
- USA broke a 19-19 tie late in the third set on a kill by Stalcup for a 20-19 advantage, and pushed its lead to two points on a service ace by Harrell for a 21-19 lead that forced a Troy timeout.
- The Jags earned match point at 24-21 in set three on a kill by Durdanovic on a set from Harrell, and clinched the match on a kill by Stalcup.
NOTES
- The Jags recorded six service aces in the match, with Hartman, Harrell and Abby Baker posting two apiece.
- Hartman finished with a game-high 10 kills, which marked her fourth consecutive match with 10 or more kills and her seventh on the season, and also tied a career high with a .600 hitting percentage.
- Stalcup tied her career high in hitting percentage (.467), and finished with seven kills along with five block assists.
- Ashlyn Roberts led the team with 12 assists, while Harrell finished with 11.
- Baker led the Jaguars with nine digs, while Kristina Alabastro added seven and Arissa Chappell finished with six.
- Wednesday's win marked USA's fifth straight at Jag Gym.
QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the team's response to a short week of preparation:
"I think we responded well. We worked on some things yesterday and Monday, so it gave us a little bit of time to work on some things to play Troy this week. I thought we came out a little flat, but picked it up in the first set. We played a great second set and then were forced to battle in the third set. I am proud of our team's effort. I believe we have better in us, so I would like to bring that on Saturday."
- On the defense:
"I thought we did a good job. It will be interesting to see how both of us (USA & Troy) respond playing back to back this week. I'm sure on Saturday they'll be wanting to make some adjustments and we'll be looking to make some adjustments."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Sat., Oct. 7, when it travels to Troy, Ala., for a 4 p.m. SBC contest with Troy inTrojan Arena. The match will be broadcast live by ESPN3 and available at WatchESPN.com, while live stats will also be provided through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).