CollegeSouthern MissSports

Southern Miss Volleyball Heads to Memphis for Rumble at the Roane

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss volleyball is set to conclude its non-conference schedule with the Rumble at the Roane tournament in Memphis, Tenn., this weekend. The Golden Eagles will face host Memphis on Thursday and Little Rock on Friday at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Southern Miss (8-1) enters the tournament with its best start since 2015. The team has won eight of its first nine matches. Senior setter Allie Hazelwood leads with an average of 11.10 assists per set, ranking among the top 10 nationally. Hazelwood also posted a career-high 57 assists in a 3-1 win over Lamar last Thursday.

Senior outside hitter Sadie McAda is nearing a career milestone, with 959 kills entering the tournament. She is 41 kills shy of reaching 1,000 in her career. McAda also surpassed 1,000 career digs in a victory over Southern on Saturday, 10 matches after teammate Sunni Shappard reached the same mark last season.

Southern Miss has received offensive contributions from Elly Stewart, Aubrey Judd, Diana Wells, and Lillie Johnson. Sunni Sheppard continues to anchor the defense, which holds opponents to a .143 hitting percentage — the lowest in the Sun Belt Conference.

Last weekend, the Golden Eagles hosted the Southern Miss Invitational, going 4-0 with wins over Houston Christian, Lamar, Southern, and Jackson State. They now turn to Memphis to face the Tigers, who are 3-6 after beating Ole Miss in their last game. Memphis’s Caitlyn Little averages 3.86 kills per set, while Abigail Schlueter leads defensively with 3.57 digs per set.

The Golden Eagles will also face Little Rock on Friday. The Trojans recently competed at the Air Force Academy Tournament, losing to Air Force and Idaho State before defeating Tennessee Tech. Little Rock will play Southeast Missouri State before traveling to Memphis for the match against Southern Miss.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats available via Stat Broadcast. Links can be found at smttt.info/RumbleRoan. Fans can follow Southern Miss Volleyball on Instagram (@southernmissvball), X (@southernmissvb), and Facebook (Southern Miss Volleyball).

Source: Original Article