Southern Miss Opens Conference USA Play Thursday; Hosts Weekend Tournament
9/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss hosts its first tournament since 2003 when the Golden Eagles welcome McNeese State, North Texas and UCF to the Southern Miss LaQuinta Inn Invitational, 19-20.
Before the tournament, Southern Miss opens Conference USA play against the Knights of UCF. This will be the conference opener for both teams. The series between the two teams is tied at 3-3 with Southern Miss winning both meetings last season.
In the tournament, Southern Miss opens play against North Texas at 6 p.m., Friday and concludes play against McNeese State at 6:30 p.m., Saturday.
The Golden Eagles are off a 3-0 sweep of in-state rival Alcorn State, snapping a three-match losing streak. Senior Ashley Petrinec recorded a match-high 10 kills, while Maia Ivanova led the way with 14 digs.
Heading into the weekend, five players have registered 50 or more kills through the 11 matches. As a team, the Golden Eagles are hitting .193 as compared to their opponents' .104. Southern Miss also has recorded 55 service aces, while averaging 11.46 kills and 11.65 digs per set.
Freshman Sarah Jane Bowden earned all-tournament team honors at the USD Tournament.
Scouting UCF
UCF (6-5, 0-0) opens Conference USA play against the Golden Eagles. The Knights are coming off two wins in the Florida International Tournament where Lauren Rosenthal and Stephanie Serna earned all-tournament honors. Todd Dagenais is in his first season at UCF. Janine Williams and Erin Campbell lead the UCF attack with 145 and 130 kills, respectively. Rosenthal has 268 assists on the season. The Knights are averaging 12.17 kills and 13.79 digs per set. The series is tied 3-3 with Southern Miss.
Scouting North Texas
North Texas comes into the tournament with a 1-8 record following a 3-1 loss to Stephen F. Austin. Roxanne Casvean leads the Mean Green with 85 kills, followed by Salah Schoenecke with 75. Coach Cassie Headrick is in her ninth season. The Mean Green is averaging 10.9 kills and 11.1 digs per set. Southern Miss leads the series 2-1.
Scouting McNeese State
McNeese State is 3-3 on the season. Chanel Tyler and Alyson Jones lead the Cowgirl attack with 62 and 58 kills, respectively. Sarah Cartie has amassed 178 assists. Coach Dale Starr is in his fifth season. The Cowgirls are averaging 11.10 kills and 14.19 digs per set. Southern Miss leads the series 7-4.
Upcoming Match
Southern Miss hits the road for a pair of C-USA contests, traveling to Tulsa (Sept. 26) and SMU (Sept. 28).