University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Volleyball Travels to MT Blue Raider Bash, Plays Four Matches
9/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss volleyball team will get road-tested this weekend when the Golden Eagles travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for the MT Blue Raider Bash, Sept. 3-5. The Eagles open play on Friday against Georgia Southern at 4 p.m., then take on host Middle Tennessee Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by a match against Miami (FL) and conclude play Sunday against Auburn at 1 p.m.
The Golden Eagles opened the season 3-0, winning their own LaQuinta Inn Invitational. Redshirt junior Ashley Mell was named the most valuable player of the LaQuinta Inn Invitational while juniors Kelsea Seymour and Lauren Sears earned all-tournament honors. Mell ranks fourth among the Conference USA leaders in kills with 4.22 kills per set while Sears leads all C-USA players with 1.56 blocks per set and Seymour is fourth in assists at 10.89 assists per set. Junior Lisa Knecht is sixth in digs at 4.82 per set. Sears also is fifth in hitting percentage at .388.
Georgia Southern comes into the Bash with a 2-1 record with wins over UT-Martin and Troy. The Eagles lost to Auburn in the War Eagle Invitational. Georgia Southern returns 11 letterwinners including all six starters from a year ago that finished 21-10. Bethany Sanford leads Georgia Southern offensively with 32 kills and also leads the team in digs with 33. Southern Miss is 1-0 against Georgia Southern after playing a five-set match in 2004 at McDonald's Texas A&M Invitational.
Middle Tennessee is 2-1 on the young season, posting wins over in on the season-opener against South Carolina and followed with a win over Brigham Young before losing to Illinois in the State Farm Illini Classic. The Blue Raiders return 10 letterwinners including three starters from last year's team that finished 25-10 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Izabela Kozon leads the team with 3.64 kills per set while Brynne Henderson leads the team in digs at 3.09 per set. The Golden Eagles own a 1-0 record against Middle Tennessee when USM defeated the Blue Raiders in 1994 in the Auburn Tournament.
Miami enters the tournament with a 3-1 record following a 3-0 win over Florida Atlantic. The Hurricanes return nine letterwinners including four starters from last year's team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Lane Carico leads the team with 3.29 kills per set while Ryan Shaffer leads the team in digs at 3.94 per set. Miami (FL) and Southern Miss have never played.
Auburn brings a 4-0 record into the Bash following a 3-0 win over Mercer. The Tigers return eight letterwinners including four starters from last year's team that posted a 6-25 record. Sarah Bullock leads the team offensively, averaging 4.33 kills per set. Liz Crouch leads the team in digs with 3.10 per set average. Auburn leads the series with Southern Miss, 4-1. Southern Miss won the first match in 1980, but Auburn has won the last four meetings between the two teams.
Southern Miss remains on the road for its third tournament of the season when the Golden Eagles travel to Oxford, Miss. for the Magnolia Classic, Sept. 10-11. USM opens play on Friday against Louisiana-Lafayette at 11 a.m., followed by a match against Ole Miss at 7 p.m. and concludes with Samford at 11 a.m., on Saturday.
