ELMWOOD, La. — The University of Southern Mississippi beach volleyball team opened the NOLA Classic with a loss to FIU before earning a 5-0 victory over New Orleans on Friday, according to school officials.
Southern Miss, with a 13-18 record overall and a 3-1 mark in Sun Belt Conference play, fell to FIU (9-15, 2-1 Conference USA) in a close 3-2 match. The Golden Eagles then swept New Orleans (11-14, 3-3 Southland) with a clean 5-0 win.
In the match against FIU, the Panthers secured wins in the first wave, with Lauren Coady and Elizabeth Nye defeating Y-Nhu Do and Iustina Corcoz in a three-set thriller. Zuzanna Michalska and Abby Lewis forced a third set in their match, but Nicole Robinson and Hanna Gubrik sealed the victory for FIU with a 16-14 win in the decisive set.
Southern Miss responded with wins in the final flights, including a victory from Jaden White and Margarita Grigoreva at the third flight. Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda also secured the top-flight victory, clinching the dual for the Golden Eagles.
Later in the day, the Golden Eagles faced New Orleans and dominated with a 5-0 sweep. The match featured straight-set wins from several pairs, including Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda at the top flight and Kitija Martini Adamsone and Giovanna Gurgel Bahia sealing the overall victory for Southern Miss.
Southern Miss will conclude the regular season Saturday with two duals, facing ULM at 11 a.m. and Tulane at 1:30 p.m., before preparing for the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Foley, Alabama.
