MOBILE, Ala. – The Samford Volleyball team fell 3-0 to the South Alabama Jaguars on Friday evening in day one of the Alabama Challenge.

With the loss, Samford drops to 5-6 overall while South Alabama improves to 8-3.

Gracie Lynn Butler finished just one dig shy of a double-double, totaling a team-high 13 kills to go along with nine digs.

Kate Morgan (12) and Amelia Johnston (10) both tallied double-digit dig totals while Lexi Thatcher led the way with 23 assists. Kate Wonus posted a team-high three block assists while Kaleigh Meritt, Greer Golden, and Butler all recorded a pair of block assists each.

In set one, South Alabama jumped out to a 10-4 lead and extended its lead to 19-9 following a 5-0 run. The Jaguars hit .387 in the set that saw them claim it 25-14.

A 3-0 run by the Jags created separation in the second set and gave them an 11-6 advantage over the Bulldogs. South Alabama used another 3-0 run to go up 17-11. They took their largest lead of the set at 21-14 before eventually clinching it 25-19.

The Bulldogs used an early 4-0 run to take a 5-2 lead in set three following a kill by Butler. The Jags fought back by rattling off a 6-0 run to go up 10-7 and later notched a 7-0 run to take an 18-9 lead and take control of the match. From there, South Alabama cruised its way to a 25-13 set-three win.

"South Alabama really played a fantastic game," Head Coach Keylor Chan said. "We struggled to connect as a team and that cascaded for too long. Tomorrow we will have a chance to play another very good team in Auburn and we have to capitalize on that opportunity."

The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 16 when they take on Auburn University at Noon CT from Mobile on the final day of the Alabama Challenge.

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