University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagle Volleyball Team Travels to Milwaukee for Tournament
9/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 8, 2011
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss volleyball team (3-3) travels to Milwaukee, Wis., to play in the Marquette/Milwaukee Invitational. This is the third straight tournament of the season for the Eagles.
On Friday, Sept. 9, the Golden Eagles are set to face former C-USA member Marquette at 1 p.m., in the Al McGuire Center, then travel across town to for a match against UW-Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Southern Miss concludes play against Akron on Saturday at 1 p.m.
About Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend with a 3-3 record after losing three matches in the Iowa State Challenge last weekend. Junior outside hitter Halie Ecker lead the team with 3.18 kills per set as senior outside hitter Ashley Mell chipped in 2.62 kills per set. Senior right side hitter, Amelia Hendrickson was named to the Iowa State Challenge all-tournament team. Ecker leads the team in kills with a3.76 per set average while senior Lauren Sears is tops on the team in total blocks with 21 for a 1.00 per set average. Senior libero Lisa Knecht leads the squad with 5.19 digs per set. As a team, Southern Miss is hitting .145 and averaging 12.33 kills per set, 1.00 service aces per set, 17.76 digs per set and 2.14 blocks per set.
Scouting Marquette
The Golden Eagles come into the tournament with a 4-3 record after finishing second at the Bluejay Invitational with wins over South Dakota and Creighton. Senior outside hitter Ciara Jones leads the squad with 3.64 kills per set as junior outside hitter Danielle Carlson adds 3.24 kills per set. Freshman setter Chelsea Heier directs the offense with 11.84 assists per set with sophomore libero Julie Jeziorowski leading the way defensively with 5.48 digs per set. Sophomore right side Courtney Mrotek and junior middle hitter Carol Henney both have tallied 20 or more blocks for the Golden Eagles. As a team, Marquette is hitting .241 with 13.40 kills per set, 1.44 service aces per set, 14.92 digs per set and 1.98 blocks per set.
The Series: Southern Miss vs. Marquette
Marquette leads the series against Southern Miss, 7-6, in a series that began in 1995. The last meeting was a three-set Marquette victory (30-18, 30-26, 30-16) on Nov. 6, 2004 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Scouting UW-Milwaukee
The Panthers enter the weekend with a 5-2 record after losing to Northern Illinois (25-27, 27-29, 24-26) Tuesday night. Senior outside hitter Kerri Schuh leads the squad with 3.89 kills per set as junior outside hitter Elizabeth Egerer chips in 3.42 kills per set. Freshman setter Sara Heldman guides the offense and is averaging 10.57 assists per set while senior defensive specialist Morgan Potter tops the defense with 4.75 digs per set. As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .200 with 14.00 kills per set, 17.04 digs per set and 2.16 blocks per set.
The Series: Southern Miss vs. Milwaukee
This is the first meeting between Southern Miss and UW-Milwaukee.
Scouting Akron
The Zips come into the weekend with a 3-4 record after starting the season 0-4. Akron posted three straight wins in its tournament, defeating St. Francis (Pa.), Bradley and Canisius. Senior outside hitter Courtney Jarvis leads the team with 2.87 kills per set while senior middle blocker Tina Dimitrijevs is next at 2.70 kills per set. Junior setter Morgan Kuhn directs the offense and is averaging 10.09 assists per set. Junior defensive specialist Chelsea Harvey is averaging 4.00 digs per set. As a team, Akron is hitting .231 with 12.43 kills per set, 1.43 service aces per set, 14.09 digs per set and 1.87 blocks per set.
The Series: Southern Miss vs. Akron
This will be the first meeting between Southern Miss and Akron.
Next Up
Southern Miss remains on the road and plays in its fourth tournament of the season when the Golden Eagles travel to Houston Baptist on Sept. 16-17. Southern Miss opens the tournament on Friday against Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m., followed by a match with host, Houston Baptist at 2 p.m., and concludes with a match against Southeastern Louisiana, 11 a.m., on Saturday.
