MACON, Ga. — The University of Southern Mississippi’s beach volleyball team opened the Sun Belt Mid-Season Tournament with two dominant 5-0 victories Friday at Bear Beach. The Golden Eagles defeated College of Charleston and Mercer, improving their record to 9-14 overall and 2-0 in conference play, according to school officials.
With their win over Mercer, Southern Miss tied the program record of six straight wins. The team now shares the conference lead with Coastal Carolina ahead of the tournament’s final day. The Golden Eagles are scheduled to face Coastal Carolina at 8 a.m. Saturday and close the event against UNCW at 12:30 p.m.
Two players made history during the day. Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda each earned their 52nd career dual win, moving into a tie for second place on the program’s all-time list behind Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou, who holds the record with 56. Both players have competed together in every dual over the past three seasons, school officials said.
Southern Miss lost just one set across 10 scoring sets on the day, finishing with a 20-1 record. In the first match, the Golden Eagles swept College of Charleston, with Dennis and McAda clinching the dual at the top flight with a 21-13, 21-10 victory. They were followed by wins from other pairs, including Michalska and Lewis, Bahia and Adamsone, and a come-from-behind win from Bahia and Adamsone in the third set.
The team also defeated Mercer in back-to-back duals, again winning 5-0. The Golden Eagles opened with a win at the fifth pairing and secured the dual with victories from Dennis and McAda, Michalska and Lewis, and Bahia and Adamsone. An exhibition match was left unfinished due to time constraints, school officials said.
Southern Miss’s next game is against Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 8 a.m. The team aims to continue its winning streak and potentially set a new program record during the tournament.
