Sadie McAda scores 22 as Southern Miss volleyball beats Louisiana Tech
The University of Southern Mississippi volleyball team defeated Louisiana Tech 3-1 Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana. The Golden Eagles improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play with the win.
Southern Miss hit .225 as a team, registering 57 kills and holding advantages in assists and digs over the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech finished with 40 kills and a .147 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles also recorded six blocks and nine service aces, while Louisiana Tech had 12 blocks and seven aces.
Sadie McAda, who reached 1,000 career kills the previous day, led Southern Miss with a season-high 22 kills and 24.5 points. She hit .315 on 54 attempts. Aubrey Judd matched her career high with 14 kills and posted a .379 hitting percentage. Elly Stewart added 12 kills at a .320 clip. Lillie Johnson contributed four kills, and Emily Davis added three.
Allie Hazelwood facilitated the offense with 46 assists and contributed 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Sunni Sheppard recorded 15 digs and six assists. Kaylee Lowther tied her career high with five service aces, giving her a team-leading 23 for the season, third in the SBC. Freshman Reese Warren recorded her first career kill during the match.
Southern Miss took control early in the first set, overcoming a 4-1 deficit to build an 11-19 lead after an 8-0 run fueled by kills from McAda and aces from Lowther. The Golden Eagles closed the set with a 4-0 run to win 25-16. Louisiana Tech responded in the second set, building a 14-6 lead before Southern Miss rallied to take a 21-20 advantage following back-to-back kills from Johnson. The Bulldogs regained control and won 25-23 to even the match.
The third set saw Southern Miss start strong with back-to-back aces from Lowther. McAda added an ace during a 4-0 run that gave the Eagles a 15-13 lead, and they finished the set with consecutive kills from McAda and Stewart to win 25-16. In the fourth set, the teams exchanged leads until Southern Miss pulled ahead late, tying at 14 and taking a 17-15 lead after a block from Judd and Johnson. The Eagles extended their advantage to 21-18 with key kills from McAda and Stewart, then sealed the match with a 25-21 victory after a Louisiana Tech attack error.
Southern Miss returns home next weekend to host Troy in their first conference matches of 2026 at the Southern Miss Wellness Center on Oct. 2-3. Fans can follow updates on the team’s social media channels.
Source: Original Article
