Southern Miss Beach Volleyball Splits First Day at Sun Belt Championship

FOLEY, Ala. — The University of Southern Mississippi beach volleyball team opened the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Championship with a split on Thursday. The Golden Eagles, seeded third, defeated sixth-seeded ULM 4-1 before losing 5-0 to second-seeded Georgia State.

Southern Miss improved to 15-20 overall and 4-1 in the Sun Belt after their victory over ULM. The team’s win was highlighted by strong performances from Second-Team All-Sun Belt selections Zuzanna Michalska and Abby Lewis, who both secured straight-set wins at the second flight. Iustina Corcoz and Y-Nhu Do also contributed with a victory at the fourth pairing, giving the Eagles an early 2-0 lead. Jaden White and Margarita Grigoreva clinched the match with a win at the fifth flight.

The dual was close at the top flight, where Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda narrowly lost in three sets. ULM’s Paige Ingersoll and Izabella Zukowska won the third set 20-18 after the Eagles forced a third with a second-set win. ULM’s lone point came from Abby Ryno and Claire Williamson at the first flight, who defeated Dennis and McAda in a tight three-set match.

Later in the day, Southern Miss faced Georgia State in the semifinals but fell 5-0. The Panthers secured wins across all flights, including a straight-set victory at the top flight by Savannah Ebarb and Bella Troncale. The Eagles’ only match played was at the third flight, where Nolen Nuez and Adeline Thompson of Georgia State earned a forfeit win over Kitija Martini Adamsone and Giovanna Gurgel Bahia, ending the dual early.

The championship continues Friday with additional matches to determine the tournament champion. Southern Miss will play College of Charleston in an elimination match at 11:45 a.m., with the winner advancing to face UNCW later in the day.

Source: Original Article