University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Head to Middle Tennessee for Sunday Matinee
9/29/2018 7:43:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Only three days removed from a nail-biting loss to WKU in five sets, Southern Miss looks to bounce back as they travel to Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders (4-10, 0-2 C-USA) host the Golden Eagles for their C-USA home opener after dropping road games to WKU and Louisiana Tech.
The last time out
The Golden Eagles had gone 32 days without a game at Reed Green Coliseum, but the fans were treated to an absolute battle. Southern Miss pushed the Lady Toppers to the brink, but ultimately lost via a 15-11 score in the fifth set. Kylie Grandy, Sarah Bell and Ashley Berry all dominated the box score as they posted a game-high in their respective categories. Bell recorded 46 assists, Berry added seven blocks and Grandy ripped 18 kills in the five-setter.
Bell dug her way into the history books in the second set as she recorded her 1,000th career dig at Southern Miss. Bell became just the fourth person in Southern Miss history to have recorded at least 1,000 digs and 1,000 assists in their Southern Miss career.
Scouting Middle Tennessee
Heading into its showdown with Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee has accumulated just four wins. In C-USA play, the Blue Raiders were swept by WKU and were dropped in four sets by LA Tech. The Blue Raiders are led by senior Bailey Mason, a six-foot outside hitter that has whacked a team-high 152 kills.
Defensively, Brienna Tankesley leads the squad with 207 digs and Julia Valdez has a team-high 30 blocks. As a team, Middle Tennessee is sitting a .172 hitting percentage.
What's at stake
The Golden Eagles currently lead 4-3 in the all-time series against the Blue Raiders. Since 2015, Southern Miss has swept Middle Tennessee in three consecutive meetings.
