Southern Miss
17-15
FIU
19-11
Golden Eagles Fall in Semifinal Bout to FIU
11/17/2018 7:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. -Â A day after upsetting the defending Conference USA Champions, the Southern Miss volleyball team bowed out of the C-USA Tournament in a four-set (20-25, 19-25, 25-10, 18-25) loss to sixth-seeded Florida International.Â
The first set was nothing but a dandy in the early stages. The two squads traded points until FIU utilized a series of runs to pull ahead by four. The Golden Eagles were unable to recover, ultimately losing 25-20. Again, FIU pounced on a series of runs to pull ahead by as many as six in the second set. Just like WKU did, the Panthers took a two-set lead on the Golden Eagles.Â
With the careers of five seniors on the line, Kylie Grandy -- one of those seniors -- stepped up in the third set and tallied five kills to swing the momentum in favor of Southern Miss. In that third set, the Golden Eagles recovered from an early deficit to pull ahead by six towards the end of the set. A FIU run cut the lead to just two points, but Catherine Repsher smashed a kill to regain control of the set. Closed out by a Grandy kill, the Golden Eagles utilized a 4-1 run en route to a 25-20 win.Â
Southern Miss looked to continue the magic in the fourth set and did just that. A setting error by the Panthers started a 6-1 run that put the Golden Eagles ahead by three. FIU responded to tie the game at nine-all, which ultimately swung the momentum to their side for most of the fourth set. The Panthers pulled ahead by as many as seven before the Golden Eagles could start their comeback. Two quick points from Grandy and a FIU error gave some hope to the Golden Eagles. However, FIU went on to score three of the final four points to secure a spot on Sunday's C-USA championship game against Rice.Â
Grandy finished her Southern Miss career in style after recording 16 kills. The First Team All-Conference USA selection slid into second all-time at Southern Miss in career kills with 1,572. Sarah Bell's 35 assists gives her 5,251 career assists, the most in program history.Â
The Golden Eagles finished with 11 blocks, backed by five from Repsher and Alexis Coombs. Bell snagged a team-high 12 digs to finish her career with a double-double. Grandy also finished with a double-double, adding 11 digs.Â
The Golden Eagles will lose the likes of Katherine Still, Dani Ajayi, Coombs, Bell, and Grandy, but gain an impressive recruiting class to fill the shoes of some Southern Miss legends.Â
The Golden Eagles finished their 2018 campaign with an overall record of 17-15.Â
