MOBILE, Ala. - Ashley Adams notched double-digit kills for the 14th straight match on Sunday afternoon, helping lead the Middle Tennessee volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-22) victory at Jag Gym in Mobile, Ala.
Adams tallied a match-high 13 kills, and the duo of Alyssa Wistrick and Maria Szivos posted eight and seven, respectively. As a team, the Blue Raiders put up 39 to South Alabama's 28 en route to out-hitting the Jaguars .301 to .044.
Oyinlola Oladinni and Morgan Peterson helmed the defense at the net, each posting five blocks as the Blue and White out-blocked USA 7.0 to 5.0.
Szivos led the way with eight digs. Brynne Henderson was second on the team with seven, and Halie Vannoy chipped in six.
The Blue Raiders put together an efficient opening set, picking up four kills from Szivos and three from Adams as Middle Tennessee out-hit South Alabama .429 to .000 to win 25-17.
The Jaguars held on to a slim lead at 12-11 before a couple errors and a pair of blocks from Oladinni and Wistrick gave the Blue Raiders a 15-12 edge, and MT never trailed again. All three Adams kills came down the stretch to secure the 1-0 match lead.
Adams really came alive in the second frame, hitting .385 with seven kills and leading Middle Tennessee to a 25-20 win.
Once again, USA grabbed the early lead, but a massive 13-2 mid-set run gave the Blue Raiders an insurmountable advantage at 20-11. The Jaguars made a spirited comeback attempt, but a Wistrick kill and a block by Oladinni and Peterson shut the door and sent MT into the break up 2-0.
Adams, Szivos, Wistrick and Monét Marshall each totaled three kills in the deciding third set and Middle Tennessee out-hit South Alabama .312 to .147 on the way to winning 25-22.
The Blue and White led for the majority of the frame, but they just couldn't shake the Jaguars, who seemed to have an answer for every MT run, even grabbing the lead late at 21-20. Oladinni answered with a pair of kills and Adams added another as Middle Tennessee finished off the match on a 5-1 run.
The Blue Raiders (18-9, 14-1 SBC) have now recorded a school record 16 consecutive wins. The victory sets up a de facto Sun Belt championship match at Alumni Memorial Gym on Friday against Western Kentucky, with the winner earning the top seed at the Sun Belt Tournament in MIami. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
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