Daigle, Porter spark comeback win over Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Texas State volleyball team came from behind to defeat Cincinnati 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 15-13) on the second day of the Xavier Tournament Saturday morning inside Cintas Center.

The meeting was the first between the two programs. The Bobcats improved to 2-2 on the year, while the Bearcats dropped to 1-4.

The winning side had five reach double-figure kills, led by junior Madison Daigle's career-high 16. Sophomore Megan Porter recorded her second career double-double as she ended with a career-high 26 digs and 13 kills.

Sophomore Amy Pflughaupt posted a double-double in just the second match of her Bobcat career. She tallied 13 kills and 12 digs. True freshman Effie Zielinski had 15 kills, while senior Jaliyah Bolden added 13. True freshman Brooke Johnson (31) and senior Erin Hoppe (30) both reached the 30-assist mark, and sophomore Micah Dinwiddie contributed 14 digs.

Cincinnati won the opening frame 25-20. Texas State held its final lead at 7-6, and a 9-4 surge gave the Bearcats a four-point advantage they would not relinquish. They were able to stretch their lead out to six at 22-16 and went on to finish off the five-point margin of victory.

Texas State pulled even by capturing the second set 25-23. The maroon and gold initially jumped on top 12-6 and looked to be in complete control, but UC scored seven of the next 10 points to get within two. TXST regained a six-point cushion at 20-14, but another run from Cincinnati tied the game at 22-22. A kill from Bolden and an attack error moved the Bobcats to within the brink of the set, which was then capped off by a kill from Daigle.

The Bearcats regained the advantage after claiming the third by a 25-18 margin. Texas State was able to play to a 5-5 standstill, but UC used a big run to take a 19-10 advantage. The Bobcats were unable to get any closer than six the rest of the way.

TXST flipped the script in the fourth, as the Bobcats jumped on top 4-0 and never trailed. They led 7-2 at one point, but Cincinnati climbed back to within two at 11-9. Texas State rattled off each of the next seven points, however, to steal the momentum back for good. The Bobcats went on to win the frame 25-20.

Neither team could find a decisive advantage in the fifth, which saw six ties. The final draw came at 13-13, which forced a Texas State timeout. The Bobcats then got back-to-back kills from Pflughaupt to seal the victory.

This was the first five-set match for the maroon and gold this season and the second in a 12-hour span for the Bearcats after going the distance in a win over Xavier Friday night. TXST had five such contests in 2016.

Texas State had decisive advantages in kills (75-58), assists (72-57) and digs (72-67). UC led in attack percentage (.271-.223), aces (7-4) and blocks (13-5).

The Bobcats will close out the weekend with a 6 p.m. (CDT) match against host Xavier later tonight.

Trojans Fall in Straight Sets to Memphis
CONWAY, Ark. – Little Rock volleyball fell 3-0 (19-25, 21-25, 17-25) to Memphis in the Trojans' final match of the UCA Invitational at the Farris Center on Saturday.

Veronica Marin led the Trojans (2-4) with seven kills and a match-high .500 hitting percentage on 12 attempts. She also tallied three block assists. Taylor Lindberg had five kills on 10 attempts and had 19 assists. Sydnee Martin led the match with 12 digs and served up a team-high two aces.

Hannah Flowers led the Tigers (2-4) with 10 kills and a .286 hitting percentage. Brianna Kadiku led the match with five total blocks (one solo and four assisted).

Little Rock stumbled out of the gate as Memphis led the entirety of the first set. The Tigers outhit the Trojans by a .407-.192 margin and came away with a six-point win. Marin had three of Little Rock's 10 kills on four attempts.

The tide looked to be turning in the Trojans' favor in the second set as they got out to a five-point lead at 20-15. That's when the momentum shifted in Memphis' favor as the Tigers went on a 10-1 run to steal the set.

Memphis started the final set with a 13-4 lead before Little Rock cut the deficit with a 5-1 run to force a timeout by the Tigers. After the timeout, Memphis once again made it a nine-point margin at 21-12. The Trojans attempted another comeback, but they only got within seven points of the Tigers' lead.

Maritza Mesa had four kills with three block assists while Mya Robinson also tallied four kills with 10 digs and an ace. Marina Avram had four kills, an ace and three block assists. Daisha Gillard put down three kills with two block assists while Nedima Kamberovic had one kill and a block assist.

For her efforts throughout the UCA Invitational, Marin was named to the All-Tournament Team as she tallied 36 kills (3.27 per set), a .465 hitting percentage, three aces and 15 total blocks (two solo and 13 assisted).

Little Rock will continue non-conference action against Colgate on Friday at the SFA Invitational in Nacogdoches, Texas.

UTA's Second-Set Comeback Fuels Idaho State Sweep
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Highlighted by a furious comeback to win the second set, UTA volleyball wrapped up the Bruiser Showcase with a three-set sweep (25-16, 25-23, 25-20) of Idaho State, on Saturday morning at Belmont's Curb Event Center.

UTA (5-1) finished off the three-match trip to the Belmont Bruiser Showcase with a 2-1 record after wins over Idaho State and Middle Tennessee State and a five-set loss vs. Belmont. The Mavs cruised to a first-set win over Idaho State on Saturday morning before finding themselves in a seven-point hole three different times in the second set. UTA rallied from behind to win the second 25-23 and used an all-around effort in the third to fight off ISU for the 25-20 win and three-set sweep.

UTA finished the match hitting .269 with 45 kills, owning 50 digs, seven blocks and seven service aces.

The Mavs are off to their best start since a 7-1 start to open the 2014 season in 2014, a year that saw UTA win 25 matches. UTA is under the direction of first-year Coach J.T. Wenger.

LEADING THE MAVS
Junior preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection Zhanelle Geathers led the team with 16 kills, adding three digs in the win, totaling 17.5 points total. Senior Qiana Canete had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs and freshman setter Kailyn Gilbreath starred with 34 assists and five kills in the three sets, adding seven digs. Sophomores Kylie Jedlicka and Madison McConnell each had five kills and freshman Tessa Harfield added four kills. Madelyn St. Germain finished with eight digs.

NEXT
The Mavs return to action on Friday, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M., to face host New Mexico, Northern Colorado and Portland.

SET ONE
UTA jumped out to a 3-0 lead on two kills from Zhanelle Geathers and a kill from Qiana Canete, with freshman Kailyn Gilbreath assisting on each. UTA extended its lead to 7-2 and 11-4 with Madison Helt's serves leading to a 14-8 lead after a kill from Kylie Jedlicka. UTA continued to take a 21-13 lead after Gilbreath's kill and finished off the set on a kill from Geathers for a 25-16 result.

SET TWO
Idaho State jumped out to a 7-1 lead to open the second and saw its lead extend to seven again at 14-7 after an error. Geathers got the Mavs to within four at 15-11 and Tessa Harfield cut it to 15-12 with a kill. Madison McConnell's kill tied up the set at 22-22 and promoted the first Idaho State timeout of the set. UTA then took the lead with a kill from Gilbreath at 23-22 and after the Vandals tied it up at 23-23, Geathers gave the Mavs the lead with a kill. Gilbreath then finished off the dramatic comeback with a kill and a 25-23 win.

SET THREE
The Mavs jumped out to a 6-1 lead with Geathers collecting three kills. With contributions from throughout the roster, including young talents in Helt, Gilbreath Cameryn Zahradnik, Madison Smith and Libbie Vickers and senior standout Ashlyn Ford, the Mavs stretched their lead to 18-14. Harfield gave the Mavs a 20-16 lead with her fourth kill. UTA fought off a late rally from the Vandals, with kills from Harfield, Canete and Gilbreath, to take a 24-20 lead. Geathers finished off the win with her 16th kill.

App State Bested by Buccaneers in Four Sets
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University volleyball dropped a 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-27, 17-15) decision to East Tennessee State on Friday afternoon inside the Holmes Center.

The Mountaineers (2-4) had three players finish with double-digit kills and were led by Lexi Kohut who tallied 17 kills. Melissa McMath and Kara Spicer rounded out the App State offense with 15 and 13 kills, respectively.

Ashlyn Brown picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 42 assists and 11 digs.

On the defensive side of things, Olivia Loeffler had a team-high 12 digs and Sydney Farthing made 11 digs.

Down 14-13 in the middle of the first set, a kill by McMath sparked a 5-0 run that inlcuded back-to-back serves from Spicer to drop in for an ace.

ETSU (2-3) tied it up at 17-17, but the Mountaineers used another 5-0 run to take a commanding 22-17 lead. The Buccaneers would respond with two points, but back-to-back kills by Cassidy Stephenson and a Kohut kill sealed a first set win for the Mountaineers. With that set win, Appalachian has yet to lose an opening set this season.

The Buccaneeers seemed to try and stall the Mountaineer momentum from the first set and jumped out to an 18-11 lead in the second. Appalachian made a 4-0 run that included three Kohut kills to get to within three points of ETSU. However, the Buccaneers would pull away for a 25-19 win.

Kohut continued to lead the Mountaineer attack in the third set and pick up five early kills to help take a 12-7 lead. ETSU would claw back and take its own lead at 14-13.

Both teams traded points for the remainder of the set until the Buccaneers forced a set-point up 24-23. It seemed that ETSU would take the set on an App State attack error, but head coach Matt Ginipro challenged that the Buccaneers touched the ball before it went out. The play was overturned, but ETSU would use an App State service error and a kill to take set three, 27-25.

With a 2-1 lead in the match, ETSU kept its foot on the gas in the fourth set. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 13-7 advantage and finished off the Mountaineers 25-17 to clinch the match.

The Mountaineers will play one last match as part of the Appalachian Invitational tonight against Virginia at 7:00 p.m.

@AStateVB Tops Ole Miss for Split on Final Day of A-State Invitational
JONESBORO, Ark. (9/2/17) – The Arkansas State volleyball team defeated Ole Miss by a score of 3-1 (25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18) in the nightcap and final match of the A-State Invitational after falling to SMU 3-0 (25-27, 23-25, 16-25) earlier in the day at the Convocation Center.

Carlisa May led the Red Wolves (3-4) with 17 kills in the win over Ole Miss (4-3), while Drew Jones added 11 kills and 13 digs for her third double-double of the tournament. Jessica Uke tallied 10 kills on a .368 hitting percentage and had four blocks, including three block solos. Ellie Watkins handed out 43 assists and also had seven kills and two aces. Tatum Ticknor led A-State with 23 digs. Ole Miss was led by Lexi Thompson’s 15 kills.

The win for A-State was its first over a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2009 and the first for the Red Wolves under head coach David Rehr.

“We were in a dark place the last 24 hours after the loss to Virginia Tech last night,” Rehr said. “We changed some things up and we were more like ourselves this morning against a good SMU squad, but still weren’t where we needed to be. However, we really clicked and got back to playing our style of volleyball tonight against Ole Miss. Always great to beat Ole Miss and I’m proud of the way we responded to adversity. All of our coaches did a tremendous job and I’m looking forward to a great day of practice Monday as we move forward.”

The Red Wolves began the match by racing out to a 10-6 lead that forced an Ole Miss timeout and despite the Rebels’ best attempts were able to maintain a lead throughout the set extending it to 22-18 before another stoppage by the visitors. The timeout didn’t cool off Arkansas State as a 3-1 run gave the home team a 25-19 set win.

Ole Miss flipped the script in set two by jumping out to a 10-6 edge, but a 7-1 run, capped on a kill from May, gave A-State the momentum ahead 13-11. The visitors earned the next point but the Red Wolves extended the lead to 22-14 on a kill by Timber Terrell. Ole Miss battled to within 23-19, but two straight points gave A-State the set 25-19.

Both teams battled to a 9-9 tie in set three before Ole Miss took a 15-11 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish. A-State battled to within one point on several occasions, including 22-21 after a kill by May, but three straight points by the Rebels gave them the set 25-21.

A-State ran out to a 12-5 lead on an ace by Kenzie Fields in set four and saw the Rebels call their second and final timeout of the set. A-State increased the lead to 16-8 on another kill by Terrell, but Ole Miss eventually fought back to within four at 20-16 on a kill by Kate Gibson. However, a 5-2 run by the home squad, capped by a service ace at the hand of Watkins, gave the Red Wolves a 25-18 game four win and 3-1 match win.

Earlier in the day, A-State and SMU (3-3) were locked in a tight battle in set one with the home team earning a 16-14 edge on a block by May, but a 7-0 run by the Mustangs put them in front 21-16. However, the Red Wolves battled back to tie the set three times, with the last coming at 25-25 on a kill by Jones. Despite the comeback by A-State, SMU was able to gather the final two points needed for a 27-25 win.

The second set much the same with A-State taking a 19-16 advantage on a kill by Jones, but a 7-3 run by the Mustangs put the visitors ahead 23-22. A kill by Uke made it 24-23 in favor of SMU, but an A-State attack error gave SMU the set 25-23. The third set wasn’t much of a battle with the Mustangs claiming a 17-10 lead to force an Arkansas State timeout. A-State couldn’t close the gap much and eventually lost the set 25-16 and the match 3-0.

Jones led the team with 14 kills and had 14 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Ticknor posted 18 digs and Uke led the team with four blocks. SMU out hit A-State .210 to .099 with the .099 attacking percentage representing the first time since Aug. 30, 2014 against Auburn, a span of 96 matches, that the Red Wolves were held under .100 for a match. Lauren Mills led SMU with 13 kills, while Brittany Adams had a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs.

Virginia Tech was the champion of this season’s A-State Invitational with a 2-1 record and head-to-head win over SMU, who also had a 2-1 record. Ester Talamazzi of Virginia Tech was named the MVP of the event, with teammates Jaila Tolbert and Rhegan Mitchell also named All-Tournament. Lauren Mills and Kelly Brunstein were SMU’s representatives on the All-Tournament squad, while A-State’s Jones and Ole Miss’s Emily Stroup rounded out the team.

Jones recorded 40 kills (3.64 per set) and 37 digs (3.36 per set) during the three matches and claimed a double-double in all three. She also added three aces, three blocks, and three assists.

Arkansas State returns to action Sept. 7-9 at the Central Arkansas Invitational. The Red Wolves play host UCA Thursday night at 7 p.m. before a match against UCF Friday at 5:30 p.m. A-State finishes the even with a Saturday morning match at 10:30 a.m. versus Southern.

Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.

Louisiana Takes Two to Close Sawyer Camillo Classic
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team closed out the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic with a pair of Saturday triumphs at Earl K. Long Gym.

Louisiana (4-3) hit .460 in storming past Mississippi Valley (0-3) in straight sets (25-14, 25-8, 25-11) to start the day. In the tournament finale, the Ragin' Cajuns pounded out 64 kills and rallied after a first-set loss to top Jacksonville State (4-3) in four sets (22-25, 25-13, 26-24, 25-23).

With the Saturday sweep the Ragin' Cajuns concluded the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic with a 3-1 record, claiming the runner-up spot. Stacey Reilly (Sr., OH, Houston, Texas) and Chloe Cordell (Sr., OH, Enid, Okla.) represented Louisiana on the all-tournament team.

Improving to 4-3 on the young season, coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot's squad is off to the program's best start since the 2014 team began 10-0.

LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Reilly was the catalyst for the Ragin' Cajuns against MVSU, tallying 14 kills without an error on 22 swings for a .636 hitting percentage. It marked a career-high percentage for the senior outside hitter.

Hali Wisnoskie (Fr., OH, Columbus, Texas) was the other Cajun to reach double digit kills against MVSU with 12 and added 11 for her first collegiate double-double.

Nia Antoine (Jr., MB, Lafayette, La.) posted 16 kills, hit .500, scooped eight digs and threw up four blocks (3 BS, 1 BA) in pacing the win over Jacksonville State. Antoine was one of four Cajuns in double figures, joined by Cordell (15), Reilly (14) and Wisnoskie (11).

Setter Jessica Bartczyszyn (Sr., S, Cary, Ill.) handed out a season-high 57 assists and directed Louisiana to a .272 team hitting percentage against Jacksonville State. Bartczyszyn's effort against the Gamecocks pushed her over 2,000 career assists (currently has 2,056).

Sydney Davis collected a match-high 19 digs, leading a quartet of Cajuns with 10-plus as the squad finished with 72 against JSU.

UP NEXT
The Ragin' Cajuns travel to Houston for the Rice Invitational set for Sept. 8-9 at Tudor Fieldhouse on the Rice University campus. Louisiana is scheduled to face Rice on Friday at 10 a.m. and close out the event on Saturday with matches against California at 11 a.m. and Mississippi State at 7:30 p.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY: The Ragin' Cajuns were able to pull away from the Devilettes, who notched 10 kills in the first set, with a 6-0 run midway through first frame that opened a 20-11 advantage. Louisiana dominated the remainder of the match with a 31-5 advantage in kills combined over the final two sets. The Ragin' Cajuns scored the first 15 points of the second set and jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third set in never looking back.

JACKSONVILLE STATE: The Gamecocks turned the tables on the Ragin' Cajuns momentarily when thanks in large part to the serve of Charis Ludtke they ended the first set with an 11-1 run to claim a 25-22 win. With a .370 attack in the second set Louisiana raced past JSU for a 25-13 win that evened the match. The third and fourth sets saw a combined 19 ties and nine lead changes, but the Ragin' Cajuns were able to hold on. After the Gamecocks knotted the score at 24-all in the third set, consecutive kills off the hands of Chynna Brooks and Cordell gave the Cajuns set point and a 2-1 lead. The two teams traded several scoring runs in the fourth frame, the last big one being three straight from Louisiana off of Cordell and Reilly kills plus an ace from Avery Breaux that opened a 21-19 lead. JSU did pull within a point, 24-23, but Wisnoskie slammed down a kill to serve the victory.

QUICK HITS
- Stacey Reilly collected double digit kills all four matches of the tournament, finishing the weekend with 51 kills on a .237 hitting percentage. Reilly raised her season kills per set average to 3.00.

- With 20 digs on the day, Stacey Reilly increased her career total to 970. That leaves her 30 shy of becoming the first Cajuns outside hitter who played an entire career in the rally scoring era to reach 1,000 digs.

- Jessica Bartczysyn's 57 assists against Jacksonville State were two shy of her career-high 59 assists set against Little Rock last season (Sept. 30, 2016 in Little Rock).

- Jessica Bartczyszyn joins Andrea Hole, Mandi Gavin and Kendra Hall as setters in program history who have reached 2,000 career assists in the rally scoring era.

- Nia Antoine was two kills shy of her career-best total of 18 set last season at Appalachian State (Oct. 23, 2016).

- Freshman Hali Wisnoskie led all Ragin' Cajuns in kills during the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic. The Columbus, Texas product closed the weekend with 53 kills and averaged 3.53 per set on a .220 hitting percentage.

- As a team, Louisiana hit .252 and averaged 14.47 kills per set in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic. The team's defense produced 18.93 digs per set and 3.07 blocks per set in the event.

- Entering Saturday's play the Ragin' Cajuns led the Sun Belt Conference in digs per set (17.44) and blocks per set (2.72) and are on pace to exit the weekend as the league's leader in both categories.

2017 SAWYER CAMILLO MEMORIAL CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jessica Wooten (Houston Baptist)
Stacey Reilly (Louisiana)
Chloe Cordell (Louisiana)
Mackenzie Rombach (Jacksonville State)
Stephanie Tobison (Nicholls)
Haley Buard (Mississippi Valley)
MVP: Bailey Banks (Houston Baptist)

Troy Volleyball Concludes Troy Invitational with Sweep
TROY, Alabama – Troy volleyball picked up two wins against Winthrop (3-4) and Jackson State (1-5) to close out the final day of the Troy Invitational at the Trojan Arena to win the tournament. Troy now moves to 2-5 on the season.

Troy 3, Winthrop 1
Troy (2-5) got off to a strong start with a 3-1 win over the Winthrop Eagles for its first win of the season. The Trojans posted a .283 hitting percentage while the defense held the Eagles to a .151 percentage.

Youth carried the team as sophomores Belle Waldrop and Savannah Moore combined for 26 total kills and Moore also added three assisted block and one solo block. Logan Page recorded a team-high .533 percentage for the Trojans.

With set one tied 9-9 the Trojans went on a five point run to take a 14-9 lead. Winthrop rallied back, but a kill by sophomore transfer Jenni Young solidified the set one win for Troy. Winthrop took control of set two with a seven point run in the middle of the game to eventually tie the match at 1-1.

Troy bounced back with a dominating 25-16 win in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. A seven-point run gave the Trojans a 17-12 lead as Troy regained momentum in the set. The Trojans closed out the match with another 25-16 win in set four.

Troy 3, Jackson State 1
The Trojans continued to impress on the court as Page and Moore combined for 29 kills, with .600 and .520 attack percentages, respectively.

Jackson State got on the board first with a 25-23 set one win, but the Trojans rallied back to take three in a row from the Lady Tigers.

Troy went on its longest run of the season earning nine straight points to take a 14-5 lead in the second set and ran away with a 25-12 win. Jackson State fought back in the third set, but the Trojans were able to hold off the Lady Tigers in set three to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Another nine-point run in the fourth set gave the Trojans a comfortable lead, but Jackson State rallied back, down 24-23 as the Trojans looked for the sweep. A kill from Moore powered the Trojans to the victory as they defeated the Lady Tigers 25-23.

QUOTABLE
"It was a really great weekend," head coach Josh Lauer said. "We started off a little hesitant, but we were able to settle down and get back to our game plan. We had a great day with our middles. Belle (Waldrop) is one of our most dynamic athletes and hopefully this was a break through performance for Savannah (Moore). She was dominant in the middle. We will rest and recover and get ready for our match on Tuesday against UAB."

NOTEWORTHY
Kiara Barrett led the team in assists with 26 in match one and 22 in match two.
Logan Page was named to the all-tournament team with 28 kills during the tournament, while Savannah Moore was named tournament MVP with 30 total kills.
Troy leads its opponents in kills (330), assists (302), aces (49) and digs (295).
Waldrop leads the team with 74 kills and 79.5 points.
Freshman Cheyenne Hayes leads the team with 17 service aces, 0.63/set.

UP NEXT
Troy hosts UAB in a midweek match up on Tuesday, Sept 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Trojan Arena. The first 100 fans will receive a free Troy draw string bag.

SOUTH ALABAMA SWEEPS PAIR OF MATCHES TO CLOSE JAGUAR INVITATIONAL
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team won a pair of matches on Saturday at the Jaguar Invitational at Jag Gym. USA (2-3) defeated McNeese State in straight sets (25-13, 25-16, 25-14), and capped the tournament with a win over Southern Miss (6-2) in five sets.

South Alabama, Southern Miss and Alabama each went 2-1 on the weekend, but the Golden Eagles won the tournament via tiebreaker. USM's Kylie Grandy was named the tournament's most valuable player and earned all-tournament team honors along with teammate Chandler Marshall. McNeese State's Shanna Spree and Alabama's Quincey Gary were also named to the all-tournament team along with South Alabama's Kelley Hartman and Kristina Alabastro.

USA will return to action Tue., Sept. 5, when it faces Alabama State at 6:30 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala.

South Alabama 3, McNeese State 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-14)
GAME FACTS
- USA posted a season-high .292 hitting percentage in three sets against the Cowgirls.
- The Jaguars hit .375 as a team in the opening set, and capped the match by hitting .290 in the final set.
- South Alabama finished with 10 total team blocks, its second-highest total in a match this season.
- McNeese State hit just .052 in the match after committing 19 attack errors in 97 total attempts.

NOTES
- South Alabama improved to 13-9 all-time against McNeese State, and has won three straight in the series with victories the last three seasons.
- The Jaguars finished with a season-high 10 service aces, led by Kristina Alabastro's three.
- Alabastro led the Jags with nine kills, along with a .500 hitting percentage, five digs, one assist and three service aces.
- Kelley Hartman recorded eight kills, a .533 hitting percentage and five block assists.
- Morgan Stalcup finished with one kill, one assist, two service aces, two digs, one solo block and four block assists.
- Lauren Hartman recorded a career-high five block assists in addition to five kills and two digs.
- Ashlyn Roberts led the Jags with 18 assists, while Kellyn Reeves added 12 assists and seven digs.
- Abby Baker finished with a game-high 16 digs.

QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the match:
"McNeese State is a very competitive, feisty group. I'm proud of our girls responding today after a tough loss last night, and kind of make today a new day. We really wanted to treat this match as business, and I thought we did a really good job of executing our game plan."

- On an evenly-distributed attack:
"That was our focus after last night, we became kind of an outside dominant team and we want to have a balanced offense. It was imperative that we found that in this match going into the Southern Miss match."

- On the defense:
"We focused a lot in training camp on our block and defense, and thought that was a big change after last season that we needed to make – our defensive effort and defensive execution. It's been a good part of our focus in our gym. The better we get, we're going to play at a higher level. If we can defend a good offense, we'll be able to compete at a high level."

South Alabama 3, Southern Miss 2 (25-12, 28-26, 17-25, 18-25, 15-10)
GAME FACTS
- USA overcame a six-point deficit (14-20) in the second set by scoring six consecutive points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Iva Durdanovic, one kill by Kelley Hartman, one kill by Lauren Hartman and a service ace by Roberts. USM later earned set point on a Jaguar service error, but a kill by Alabastro and Golden Eagle attack error tied the score at 24. The Jags went on to clinch the set by scoring the final three points via a kill by Morgan Stalcup, a Golden Eagle attack error and a service ace by Kristina Alabastro.
- South Alabama clinched the match on a kill by Kelley Hartman and a service ace by Arissa Chappell on match point.

NOTES
- The Jags finished with season highs in kills (49) and digs (67).
- Roberts recorded her second double-double in as many days, finishing with 20 assists and 10 digs along with two kills and two service aces.
- Alabastro recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 kills and 15 digs as well as two solo blocks, three block assists, one service ace and one assist.
- Kelley Hartman finished with 12 kills, .400 hitting percentage, one dig, one solo block and seven block assists. Durdanovic added 14 kills, two digs and one solo block.

QUOTES
- On Southern Miss:
"They are a very well-coached team. We play each other every fall and spring, and it's always a heated battle with us. It's just a fun opponent to play; they're not in our conference and it really does help us play some good volleyball. I was proud of our team today after our response to last night's loss, but I think overall yesterday made us better today. We were better today having to finish the way we did yesterday."

- On playing three matches in two days for first time this season:
"It's very tough and I think because we didn't play three matches last weekend, this is our first weekend to get to that point and I'm proud of the way our girls kind of refreshed themselves. Their timeout before the fifth set was the difference in this match. The way they ran that timeout, they communicated what they needed to do and ultimately made that fifth set happen. We had some great people off the bench – I was able to get Symone (Stephenson) off the bench, Katelyn (Lochner) and Parker Harrell. All three contributed and we probably don't win that game if they don't come in and do their jobs cold off the bench."

- On moving forward following consecutive wins:
"It helps us build momentum, and I think we need to learn to play volleyball at a higher level more consistently. We were very focused in set one in our game plan, and we kind of lost our focus – we were very lucky to pull out that second set. We lost our focus as we mentally and physically fatigued, but it really came down to, mentally, which team was going to recover from their errors because at the end of the match it was kind of a higher-error game."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Tue., Sept. 5, when it faces Alabama State at 6:30 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala.

Bobcats tie for first at Xavier Tournament
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Texas State volleyball team defeated Xavier 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-21) to tie for first place at the Xavier Tournament Saturday night inside Cintas Center.

The Bobcats (3-2) earned their second win of the day after knocking off Cincinnati 3-2 earlier in the morning. They also finished the weekend with a 2-1 record, while the Musketeers (4-3) had just a 1-2 mark. TXST tied with Western Michigan for first place in the four-team event.

Four different Bobcats finished the sweep with double-digit kills. True freshman Effie Zielinski had 13 kills and just two errors on 22 swings (.500), while sophomore Megan Porter added 12 kills and no errors on 29 attacks (.414). Both members of the squad were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Senior Jaliyah Bolden contributed 11 kills of her own, and sophomore Amy Pflughaupt added 10. True freshman Brooke Johnson (28 assists) and senior Erin Hoppe (19) piloted the offense, while sophomore Micah Dinwiddie (14 digs) was the galvanizing force on the backline.

Texas State locked up each of the first two sets in imposing fashion to kickoff proceedings. A kill from Porter early in the first gave the Bobcats a 5-4 advantage, and the road side never trailed again. They continued to extend their lead all the way out until reaching the final 10-point margin of 25-15.

The second set was a bit tighter and featured seven ties and a pair of lead changes. The penultimate period stayed within a three-point difference through the first half, but the last tie came at 9-9. The maroon and gold held the advantage for the remaining moments. Xavier got within two at 19-17, but TXST won each of the final six points on Porter's serve to put the clamps down on the evening.

The Bobcats knew they could potentially be in for a long night, however, as the Musketeers came from 2-0 down to force a fifth set Friday night against Cincinnati and defeated tournament champion Western Michigan after falling behind 2-0 earlier in the day. In the end, Texas State was able to take care of business and wrap up the sweep. Pflughaupt registered a kill to give Texas State an early 3-2 advantage, and the maroon and gold stayed on top the rest of the frame. They pulled ahead by as much as seven points before settling for the four-point win (25-21).

TXST held advantages in every statistical category, including kills (55-37), attack percentage (.398-.217), assists (52-36), aces (3-1), digs (45-40), and blocks (4-2).

No Musketeer was able to ascend to double-digit kills or digs. Nadia Dieudonne (18) and Mackenzi Humm (12) tallied double-digit assists.

Texas State will remain on the road for one more match prior to hosting the 2017 Creeds & Crests Classic Sept. 7-9 inside Strahan Coliseum. Next up for the maroon and gold will be a 6:30 p.m. contest Sept. 5 against Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. The two squads met in the season opener Aug. 25 in College Station, Texas, with TXST earning the 3-0 victory.

Mountaineers Fall 3-1 in Appalachian Invitational Finale
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University volleyball dropped its final match of the Appalachian Invitational in a 3-1 defeat (20-25, 25-20, 24-26, 21-25) on Saturday night at the Holmes Center.

For the second consecutive match, three Mountaineers finished with double-digit kills and were led by Kara Spicer who tied her career-high with 17 kills. Melissa McMath and Lexi Kohut rounded out the App State offense with 13 kills apiece.

Ashlyn Brown picked up her sixth double-double in as many games played with 39 assists and 11 digs.

Defensively, Emma Reilly set a new career-high with 15 digs. She was followed by Sydney Hinds who had 12 digs.

Spicer was named to the all-tournament team and tallied 37 kills with a .440 hitting percentage over the weekend.

Virginia jumped out a 6-2 lead in the opening set. McMath answered with a kill and sparked a 3-0 run to get within one point, 6-5. The Cavaliers would pull away and get up by as many as five points, which end up being the final margin, 25-20.

Down 10-6 in the second set, a Kohut kill ignited a 6-0 App State run to take a 12-10 advantage. Virginia regained the lead 13-12, but Appalachian went on a 12-7 run and capped the set on a Cavalier service error.

Despite bringing over momentum from the second set win, App State fell behind 14-7 in the thrid set. The Mountaineers would use an 10-2 run to take their first lead of the set, 17-16. Both teams traded points over the next twelve rallies until Virginia reached set point up 24-23. Spicer tied the set up at 24-24 on her eleventh kill of the match, but back-to-back Cavalier kills sealed a 26-24 set win and a 2-1 match advantage.

Much like the end of the third set, neither team could pull away in set four or get a lead higher than three points until Virginia took the set and the match 25-21.

The Mountaineers will return to action on Friday, Sept. 8 when they travel to North Dakota for the UND Classic. Applachian will play South Dakota State and North Dakota on Friday and then face George Washington and North Dakota State on Saturday.

Georgia Southern Loses Two Matches at Bash in the Boro
STATESBORO – Skylar Ball recorded a career–high 10 kills to go along with four blocks in the nightcap against Charlotte, but Georgia Southern lost a pair of matches at the Bash in the Boro Saturday in Hanner Fieldhouse.

GS fell 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21) to tournament champion Bethune-Cookman (2-4) in the morning, and lost 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17) to Charlotte tonight.

Ball earned all-tournament honors for the Eagles (2-4). Lauren Reichard posted 21 kills and six blocks in the two matches, and Cathrine Murray chipped in 17 kills and 19 digs. Anna Wenger added 19 kills and four blocks, while April Luther finished the day with 81 assists and 17 digs. Joscelin Morrow contributed 34 digs.

The story vs. Bethune-Cookman
Bethune-Cookman used a 10-4 run to take control of the first set and hit .382 in the second set to open a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Eagles fought back to win the third set by erasing an early 13-8 deficit. With the score tied 22-22, a pair of Landon Jones serves led to attack errors by the Wildcats, and Reichard capped the set with a kill.

The score was tied 19-19 in the fourth, but tournament MVP Rakaya Neely keyed a pair of blocks in a three-point BCU run. Wenger answered with a kill for the Eagles, and Carly Turner and Reichard combined for a block that made the margin 22-21. Neely halted the run with a kill, and the Wildcats won the next two points to end the match.

Reichard led the way with 17 kills and three blocks, and Murray finished with 10 kills and 13 digs. Wenger added 11 kills.

The story vs. Charlotte
The Eagles defense was solid and held the 49ers to a .160 hitting percentage, but Georgia southern hit .118 and could not find its offensive stride.

With the Eagles trailing 23-22 in the first set, Reichard got a block to tie the score, but Charlotte answered with kills from Sydney Rowan and Kaylyn Torain to take the set. GS used a 7-0 run behind the serve of Joscelin Morrow to break a 16-16 tie and open a 23-16 cushion in the second en route to tying the match.

Murray helped the Eagles fight off one set point with a kill in the third set, but Jocelyn Stoner and Tatyana Thomas tallied consecutive kills to open a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Eagles lost Reichard to an injury in the third set, and that took the wind out of their sales a bit in the fourth. Charlotte opened the frame with a 12-3 run and led by as many as 11 points on its way to winning the set 25-17. Freshman Lauren Hager made her collegiate debut and registered two kills and three blocks, while Kendall Adams notched her first kill of the season.

Coastal Falls in Five at Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Coastal Carolina volleyball team held a 2-0 match lead over Iowa, but ultimately fell in five sets (25-23, 25-16, 12-25, 21-25, 9-15) Saturday afternoon in the Chants' final match of the Hawkeye Classic.

Coastal wraps the weekend with one win in three matches to move to 2-3 overall for the season.

Coastal hit .286 and .455 in the first and second sets, respectively, but could not maintain that pace as it finished the match with a .207 percentage. Iowa, meanwhile, continued to improve its hitting in each set, culminating with a .600 percentage in the deciding set.

Coastal's Leah Hardeman and Iowa's Taylor Louis led all players with 19 kills each. Reghan Coyle (13), Jess Janota (12) and Meghan Buzzerio also finished with double-digit kills for the Hawkeyes, while Kyla Manning (13) did the same for the Chants.

Coastal's Leah Levert also added nine kills while leading the team in hitting (.375) and blocks (four).

The third set proved to be the match's turning point as Iowa responded from a nine-point loss in the second to down the Chants by 13.

The fourth set saw five lead changes, including Coastal briefly pulling in front for the final time, 20-19. Iowa then rattled off five straight points, including three kills by Louis, to force set point. Louis provided her fourth kill of the set on the next serve to move the match to a fifth set.

Iowa led for the entirety of the fifth set while holding Coastal to hitting .056.

Hardeman was named to the Hawkeye Classic All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the weekend.

Coastal makes its home debut next weekend when its hosts the Coastal Carolina Classic at the HTC Center. The tournament starts on Friday with a pair of matches, including a 7 p.m. match featuring Coastal versus Notre Dame. It continues on Saturday with four matches, with Coastal squaring off against FIU (10 a.m.) and Ohio State (7:30 p.m.).