Southern Miss
Rice
Golden Eagles Set for Clash with Rice
10/6/2018 6:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -Â When Rice (13-4, 4-0, C-USA) comes to town for a Sunday matinee, it sets up a clash between two C-USA powerhouses. In the last five years, the two schools have combined to go 206-99. And to add fuel to the fire, Southern Miss (9-9, 3-2 C-USA) has won three of the last five meetings, but three of those were five-setters.Â
Nonetheless, Sunday's contest is set up to be a dandy one.Â
The last time out
The Golden Eagles head into the match after knocking off Charlotte in four sets on Friday night. Southern Miss cruised to a two-set lead before dropping the third set, only to battle through the final frame. Kylie Grandy dominated at the net with 20 kills and Catherine Repsher added 14 of her own.Â
Defensively, Madison Lawler hauled in 20 digs and Repsher swatted six Charlotte attacks. In total, Southern Miss finished with nine blocks and moved their total to 30 in their last two matches. For the fifth time this season, Sarah Bell accumulated at least 55 assists. The senior ended the match with 55 and now sits 99 assists away from having the most assists in Southern Miss history. Melanie Miller recorded 16 digs, two off of a career high.Â
Scouting Rice
The Owls head to Hattiesburg with just four losses and none of which have come in conference play. In C-USA play, Rice has swept UTEP and Middle Tennessee, along with beating both WKU and UTSA in four sets. Nicole Lennon leads the charge with 251 kills, 43 blocks and 176 digs. Also aiding in the big start has been Lee Ann Cunningham, Grace Morgan and Carly Graham. At libero, Cunningham has recorded 308 digs, but she has 14 service aces on the offensive side of the ball. At the net, Morgan has 67 blocks and 159 kills. Lastly, Graham, a freshman, leads the squad with 381 assists.Â
What's at stake
In total, Rice leads the all-time series 14-7. In recent years, Southern Miss has won three meetings since 2015. The Owls currently sit atop the C-USA standings as the only undefeated team in conference play. A Golden Eagles win can catapult them into a favorable position in the standings and would also move them back to over .500.Â
