Golden Eagles Head South to FAU
10/18/2018 11:38:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Hattiesburg, Miss. - With Tuesday's historic night in the past, the Southern Miss volleyball team is set to battle Conference USA foe Florida Atlantic on Friday night. Sarah Bell -- with a new school record in her back pocket -- and the Golden Eagles will fire the first serve at 7 p.m. in Boca Raton, Fla.Â
The last time outÂ
In that four-set win against Alabama State, Bell became the all-time leader in career assists at Southern Miss. The San Antonio, Texas native surpassed Crystal Zane for the top spot and sits at 4,787 with at least nine games remaining. Also in that game, Chandler Marshall tallied a game-high 14 kills at a .333 hitting clip. In total, Bell contributed 43 helpers and 15 digs for a double-double.Â
Defensively, the Golden Eagles finished with eight blocks. Leading the charge was Catherine Repsher, who walked out of the gym with five blocks. Alexis Coombs added three and Bell added two. Joining Bell with double-digit digs were Madison Lawler (13) and Kellie Garraway (10). Freshman Kinsley Hanback tacked on two kills in her time on the court.Â
Scouting FAU
The Owls currently sit at 5-2 in C-USA play, which slots them in a three-way tie for third place with Florida International and Western Kentucky. Ivone Martinez, also a senior setter, leads FAU with 855 assists. She's averaging 12.57 assists per set, compared to Bell's 10.67. Massiel Matos, a 6-foot outside hitter, leads the squad with 257 kills and Sigourney Kame has 245.
Defensively, Alex Cardona has accumulated 265 digs and Martinez has added 181. At the net, Cailea Gibbs has recorded 61 blocks en route to averaging .91 blocks per set.Â
What's at stakeÂ
Florida Atlantic has won five of the eight all-time meetings between the two teams. The Owls have won the last four meetings, including last seasons five-set match in Hattiesburg. Martinez and Bell can further cement themselves as the two best setters in the conference as they sit No. 1 and No. 2 in assists per set, respectively. A Southern Miss win would knot the two at 5-3 in C-USA play.Â
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates throughout the game.Â
To watch the game:Â http://conferenceusa.com/watch/?Live=5197&path=southern_miss
To follow via live stats:Â https://fausports.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
