University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Volleyball Set to Host Southern Miss Classic
8/23/2018 11:16:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Hattiesburg, Mississippi - After a much anticipated wait, Southern Miss Volleyball is officially back at Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles are hosting the 11th-annual Southern Miss Classic, held on Friday and Saturday.
Stephanie Radecki makes her debut as the Southern Miss volleyball coach -- the source of that much anticipated wait. Radecki previously served as the University of North Alabama head coach for 14 seasons and spent one year at Saint Leo University. The Golden Eagles are led by Sarah Bell and Kylie Grandy, a duo that garnered Preseason All-Conference USA honors. Bell is 833 assists shy of breaking the Southern Miss career record and Grandy is coming off a season in which she ranked third in C-USA for kills and service aces.
The Golden Eagles boast a 28-7 overall record in the Southern Miss Classic and lost just three matches inside Reed Green Coliseum last season.
Tournament Schedule
Friday,11 a.m. - East Carolina vs. Spring Hill College
Friday, 4:30 pm. - Southern Miss vs. Spring Hill College
Friday, 7 p.m.- East Carolina vs. Alcorn State
Saturday, 11 a.m. - Southern Miss. vs. Alcorn State
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. - Alcorn State vs. Spring Hill College
Saturday, 7 p.m. - Southern Miss vs. East Carolina
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College, a late add to the Southern Miss Classic, has recorded at least 20 wins in each season since 2010. The Badgers return three members that ranked inside the top five in kills in the SIAC. Spring Hill also topped five major categories in the SIAC, highlighted by Randi De'Armitt leading the conference in service aces and Cassidi Sterrett leading the conference in digs.
Peggy Martin, the winningest coach in the history of Division II, is entering her 10th season with the Badgers. This will be the first time that Spring Hill and Southern Miss square off.
Alcorn State
Despite a 3-39 campaign just a season ago, the Braves return 12 members that received a start last season. As a freshman, Fiapaipai Iosia led the team with 139 sets played and set the single-season school record for digs at 532. On top of Iosia, senior Singryd Valadares, who led the team with 235 kills, returns for one final go as a Brave.
Chelsey Lucas, who enters her third season as the Alcorn State head coach, is still searching for her first winning season as a Brave. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2008, which resulted in a 3-0 sweep for the Golden Eagles.
East Carolina
The Pirates are coming off a 22-11 season, their first 20-win season since 2005, but were forced to reload after losing five seniors that combined for 104 starts in 2017. To fill that void, the Pirates return Bri Wood, Brandee Markwith, Toya Osuegbu and Shelby Martin (voted to the Preseason American Athletic All-Conference Team). Markwith broke the Pirates' single-season record for digs and ranked second in the American Athletic Conference with 616 digs as a sophomore. Martin, a sophomore, was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2017. Southern Miss currently leads the all-time series 14-8, last squaring off against the Pirates in 2013.
Follow the Golden Eagles on Twitter (@SouthernMissVB), Instagram (@southernmissvb) and Facebook (Southern Miss Volleyball).
Season tickets can be purchased for $45 (adult), $35 (faculty/staff) or $25 (youth) by visiting SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or stopping by the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.
