Southern Miss Volleyball Opens Sun Belt Play at Louisiana Tech
The University of Southern Mississippi volleyball team (9-2) will open Sun Belt Conference play this weekend with a road series against Louisiana Tech (7-7) in Ruston, Louisiana. The matches are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday at 1 p.m. CT at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Southern Miss enters conference play after winning nine of its 11 non-conference matches, the most wins and highest winning percentage in the Sun Belt. The team leads the league in aces per set (2.03) and digs per set (15.77). Despite a slow offensive weekend in Memphis, the Golden Eagles rank in the top three in kills per set (13.41). However, their hitting percentage has dropped to .212, seventh in the league, from .355 during opening weekend at the Gamecock Classic.
The team’s defense has been a bright spot all season, holding opponents to 11.08 kills per set and a .163 hitting percentage, both the second-lowest in the Sun Belt. Southern Miss will rely on senior leaders Sadie McAda, Sunni Sheppard and Allie Hazelwood as they begin conference play. McAda, in her fourth year, has amassed 990 career kills and averages 4.03 kills per set, the second-highest in the league. Sheppard, the 2024 Sun Belt Libero of the Year, averages 3.97 digs per set. Transfer setter Hazelwood has made an immediate impact, leading the conference with 10.54 assists per set and recording a season-high 57 assists against Lamar on Sept. 11.
In their most recent matches, Southern Miss opened the Rumble at the Roane in Memphis with a 3-0 loss to Memphis before rebounding with a 3-2 victory over Little Rock. McAda led the team with 31 kills across both matches, while Hazelwood totaled 67 assists and set a career high with six kills in the win over Little Rock. The team also recorded a season-high 12 service aces in that match.
Louisiana Tech enters the weekend with a 7-7 record after a 3-0 win over Prairie View A&M at the Wildcat Classic. The Bulldogs hit a season-best .424 in the sweep, with 41 kills on 85 attempts and just five errors. Taylor Woods leads the team with 117 kills, followed by Tyra McKinnie with 115 and Gabrielle Hairston with 99. The Bulldogs’ setters, Sydnee Carter (269 assists) and Emerson Traylor (197 assists), direct the offense, with Carter setting a career high of 44 assists last week. Riley Steubing leads defensively with 233 digs and has a team-high 17 service aces.
Fans can follow the series via ESPN+ and live stats links provided by the teams. For updates, follow Southern Miss Volleyball on Instagram (@southernmissvball), X (@southernmissvb), and Facebook (Southern Miss Volleyball).
Source: Original Article
