South Alabama volleyball split its final two regular-season matches over the weekend, taking Sun Belt Conference leader Western Kentucky to five sets Friday before beating Georgia State 3-1 on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championships.
Five Sets at Western Kentucky
In Bowling Green, Ky., the Jaguars extended the conference leaders to a fifth set before Western Kentucky won the deciding game.
Freshman Jessica Lewis recorded a career-high 20 kills with 10 digs for the second double-double of her career.
The match ended Western Kentucky’s run of nine consecutive straight-set wins. South Alabama is only the second Sun Belt team to force the Hilltoppers to five sets this season.
Win at Georgia State
South Alabama closed the regular season Sunday with a 3-1 road win at Georgia State, evening its records at 14-14 overall and 9-9 in Sun Belt play.
Mechell Daniel led the Jaguars with 18 kills and 12 digs for her 14th double-double of the season, 13 of which have come against conference opponents. Lewis added 15 kills, and Mallory Moore had 10.
Freshman libero Abby Baker recorded a career-high 26 digs.
Georgia State finished its season 9-23 overall and 4-14 in conference play.
Tournament Opener Against Texas-Arlington
South Alabama, coached by Amy Hendrichovsky, will face fourth-seeded Texas-Arlington (17-14, 10-8) in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championships at 5 p.m. Thursday in Troy, Ala.
It is South Alabama’s first tournament appearance since 2010 and its fourth since 2000.
The winner will face the winner of the match between top-seeded Western Kentucky and eighth-seeded host Troy, which follows at 7:30 p.m. Live statistics and web streaming of the matches will be available through the conference website.
