JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Southern Miss volleyball defeated Jacksonville 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Golden Eagles improved to 2-0 this season, rallying after losing the first two sets.
Southern Miss’s Sadie McAda led all players with 19 kills. Diana Wells added 17 kills, and Elly Stewart finished with 14. Aubrey Judd contributed 14 kills, while Allie Hazelwood dished out 58 assists in the five-set match.
The Golden Eagles hit .250 as a team and totaled 64 kills. They faced an early deficit in the first set, falling behind 9-4 before rallying to tie at 12-12. Jacksonville secured the set with back-to-back challenges, winning 25-23.
In the second set, Southern Miss overcame a 7-2 deficit to take control, eventually winning 25-20. Jacksonville responded in the third, using a 7-2 run to take a 15-11 lead and ultimately taking the set 25-16.
The Golden Eagles forced a fifth set by winning the fourth 25-20 after trailing 8-8 early in that frame. In the final set, Southern Miss took an early 7-4 lead and maintained control, closing out the match 15-10 with a kill from Lillie Johnson.
Southern Miss will play Jacksonville State at 5:30 p.m. CT Saturday evening, aiming for a sweep of the Gamecock Classic. Fans can follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook for updates.
