Southern Miss
UL-Lafayette
Volleyball improves to 4-1 with sweep of UL Lafayette
8/30/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- It was a different routine for Southern Miss, playing a single-match for the first time all year, but the Golden Eagles did not lose a step in sweeping UL Lafayette (25-14, 25-10, 29-27) on Wednesday night in Reed Green Coliseum.
"I think we played well the first two sets, but in the third we did some things we need to improve on," head coach Amanda Berkley said. "ULL definitely competed there. Overall, I'm really pleased with how we played, especially on defense in the first two."
Ashley Berry and Chandler Marshall each recorded 12 kills, with the freshman Marshall padding her team lead to 60 on the young season. Berry has 35 on the year, with double-digit performances in all three matches. She missed both on Saturday due to illness.
"Chandler played really well," Berkley said. "She's one who just learns from her mistakes. I really appreciate that about her. She's done a nice job at swinging and going for it every single play and playing fearless."
Southern Miss (4-1) did not trail until an attack error gave ULL a 4-3 lead in the third set. From that point on, the Golden Eagles truly never overcame the hump for a lead until their backs were against the wall at 22-19. The squad came out of a timeout with kills by Catherine Repsher, Kylie Grandy and Alexis Coombs to force the Ragin' Cajuns into their own timeout.
ULL had set-point at 24-23 before Grandy posted two more kills to stave off defeat, and a service error and attack error ultimately did it for ULL.
One midweek battle out of the way, and now the team will set its eyes towards Mobile for the Jaguar Invitational, where it will play McNeese State on Friday and Alabama and host South Alabama on Saturday.
"I think this was a good experience for them," Berkley said. "We had pregame meal and serve and pass, and midweeks are definitely a different deal. We're used to playing on weekends and it's good for our team to see someone new and with a fast offense."
NOTABLE
-Sarah Bell's 45 assists were the most by a Golden Eagle in three sets since Makareta Rademakers on Sept. 19, 2014 versus Alabama A&M.
-Southern Miss held UL Lafayette to an .064 hitting percentage, the lowest since ULM went .043 on Sept. 6, 2016.
-The Ragin' Cajuns were held to -.105 in the first two sets.
