University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
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UTEP
Volleyball sweeps UTEP behind phenomenal offensive performance
10/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- It is safe to say that the Southern Miss volleyball team was excited to play in its home facility again.
Twenty-two days and four matches since its last home contest, the Golden Eagles hit .458 and posted a 12-0 run in the second set to defeat UTEP on Monday afternoon (25-23, 25-14, 25-15) in a rescheduled contest due to Hurricane Nate.
"It was a great match for us," head coach Amanda Berkley said. "Offensively, it was really nice to see some of those numbers. I was really proud of Chandler Marshall, who hit .632 and just had a phenomenal offensive match. She had a goal in mind to not make any errors, and she did that. Everybody had goals for this match and most of them reached it, so that was fun."
It was the highest hitting percentage by the Golden Eagles since Grambling in 2016, best since a .478 mark against East Carolina on Nov. 1, 2013. Kylie Grandy also posted three consecutive service aces in the third set. The team's seven attack errors were their fewest since Oct. 25, 2015 versus UAB.
There were seven ties and two lead changes in the first set, but Catherine Repsher's kill for a 19-16 lead was Southern Miss' largest of the early going. UTEP did tie it back up at 20 and 21, but kills by Grandy and Alexis Coombs helped save the day.
The Miners (4-16, 1-6 C-USA) led 9-8 in the second before the floodgates opened. Marshall picked up a kill to tie it up, then Sarah Bell held the serve as Southern Miss ultimately powered its way to a 20-9 lead. The Golden Eagles inched their way out to a 14-11 lead in the third set, and that would be as close as it would get the rest of the way.
Southern Miss (14-8, 4-2 C-USA) remains at home for the weekend to take on Middle Tennessee (Friday at 6 p.m.) and Florida Atlantic (12 p.m.). It will also be Daddy-Daughter Day on Sunday, featuring in-game promotions and ticket specials.
NOTABLE
-Chandler Marshall's .632 offensive clip was the best by a Golden Eagle since Chanel Joyce (.700) at UTEP on Oct. 9, 2016.
-Sarah Bell now has 3,519 assists, surpassing Marda Bendel (1983-86) for No. 5 all-time.
-Bell's 10 digs also gave her a fifth double-double on the year.
-Alexis Coombs had four kills and no errors for a .444 hitting percentage. She is hitting .360 in C-USA play.
-Kelsey Chambers had nine kills and a .533 mark, her best since .538 against Northwestern State in 2015.
