Volleyball Team Opens Home Conference Schedule
10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 1, 2009
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After playing 10 straight matches on the road, the Southern Miss volleyball team finally returns to the friendly confines of Reed Green Coliseum when the Golden Eagles host a pair of C-USA matches this weekend.
Southern Miss enters the weekend with a 14-3 record overall and 2-1 in league play, following a split on the road with a 3-1 loss at Marshall and a 3-0 sweep of East Carolina. The Golden Eagles host Memphis Friday at 7 p.m. and will face UAB Sunday at 1 p.m.
Offensively, four Golden Eagles have recorded 100 or more kills on the year are led by Ashley Mell with a team-high 180. Caitlin Clark is next with 172 followed by Lauren Sears with 132 and Sarah Jane Bowden 109.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles are holding the opposition to a .127 attack percentage. Bowden leads the team and ranks 10th in C-USA with 0.97 blocks per set (56 TB), while Maia Ivanova paces the club with 4.21 digs per set-good for seventh in the league. Southern Miss averages 2.10 blocks per game and 15.48 digs per set.
Setter Kelsey Seymour ranks fourth in C-USA with 10.13 assists per set (608 total assists). Seymour leads the league with 12 double-doubles, while Sears leads the team in hitting with a .286 percentage.
Memphis leads the all-time series with Southern Miss, 23-12.
Memphis comes into the weekend with a 2-14 overall record and 0-3 in league play. The Tigers dropped a pair of C-USA matches last weekend with a 3-0 loss to Rice and 3-1 loss to Houston.
Freshman Altrese Hawkins leads the Tiger offense with 147 kills and 2.67 kills per set, while sophomore middle Carolyn Baker hits a team-best .250. Junior Katlin Inglish is next on the squad with 145 kills, and senior Lauren Thompson adds 125 kills. Junior Christine Bach owns a team-high 391 assists (7.89 aps).
Junior Becky Shaffer leads the Memphis defense and ranks fourth in Conference USA with 245 digs (4.45 dps). Baker leads the Tigers in blocks with 45.
UAB owns an 8-9 record overall and 2-1 C-USA following a split in league matches last weekend with a 3-1 win over Houston and a 3-1 loss to Rice.
Sam Serley leads UAB in kills with a time-high 190, followed closely by Andrea Lalic with 184. Two other Blazers have recorded over 100 kills in Savannah Pegg (132) and Jordan McDonald (102).
The Blazers have three players who rank in the top 10 in the league in blocking, Michelle Uzoh (1.17, 1st), Patty Paniagua (1.02, 6th) and Serley (1.00, 7th). As a team, UAB ranks second in the conference with 2.27 blocks per set.
UAB leads 20-15 in the all-time series with Southern Miss.
Following the weekend, the Golden Eagles hit the road again for a match at Tulane (Oct. 7) and UTEP Oct. 11.