Beach Volleyball Starts 2-0 in Big Easy on Day One of UNO Invitational

Friday, March 6

Covington, La.

1:00 P.M.

Southern Miss

Spring Hill

Beach Volleyball Starts 2-0 in Big Easy on Day One of UNO Invitational

3/6/2020 10:30:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

Box Score (Spring Hill)Box Score (SELA)

COVINGTON, La. -- The Southern Miss Beach Volleyball team spiked its way to two wins on day one of the UNO Invitational. The Golden Eagles (3-2, 1-0 C-USA) knocked off head coach Shawn Taylor's former school -- Spring Hill (6-6) -- 3-2 in the morning contest before cruising to a 5-0 shutout over first-year program Southeastern Louisiana (0-2, 0-0 Southland). The two wins extend Southern Miss' winning streak to three matches.

"The atmosphere was great and the amount teams make this a quality event," Taylor said. "We feel fortunate to come away with the win early against Spring Hill. We jumped out early and locked up wins at the four and five spots.

"We dropped the initial set at the ones and had to work our way back into the match. It was the first time this season we really got a lot of wind and that along with Spring Hill's ability made us work for the win."

Sophomores Kinsley Hanback and Kellie Garraway stayed hot as they moved their record to 5-0 with a pair of wins. The pair won both their contests in straight sets. Breleigh Favre and Olivia Hepworth won both of their matches for the Golden Eagles while Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson went unbeaten on court one.

Southern Miss 3, Spring Hill 2
The Golden Eagles quickly jumped to an early lead after Hanback and Garraway dominated the Lady Badgers' fifth pair. The pair won 21-11, 21-14 against Leanne Sorrel and Taylor Hurst. Favre and Hepworth gave Southern Miss a two-point lead at the end of the first flight via a 22-20, 21-16 win on court four. Spring Hill's Natalie Bonner and Emily Sullivan edged Lindsey Smith and Kaile Tuisamatatele in straight sets in the exhibition match.

The Lady Badgers erased Southern Miss' lead with consecutive wins on court two and three. Hallie Phelan and Haley Hop fell in straight sets on court three, which marked the first loss of the season for the pair. Piper Matsumoto and Madison Lawler also fell in straight sets on court two. The match came down to Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson on court one against Payton Gidney and Mikayla Boyer. The Golden Eagles' pair dropped the first set but stormed back to win in three sets and secure the team win.

1. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USMBVB) def. Payton Gidney/Mikayla Boyer (SPRSVB) 12-21, 21-12, 15-9
2. Brittany Bilotti/Kassandra Fairly (SPRSVB) def. Piper Matsumoto/Madison Lawler (USMBVB) 21-18, 21-9
3. Emmarose Neibert/Allison Weimer (SPRSVB) def. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USMBVB) 21-19, 21-15
4. Breleigh Favre/Olivia Hepworth (USMBVB) def. Cassidi Sterrett/Sarah Senft (SPRSVB) 22-20, 21-16
5. Kinsley Hanback/Kellie Garraway (USMBVB) def. Leanne Sorrel/Taylor Hurst (SPRSVB) 21-11, 21-14
Ext. Natalie Bonner/Emily Sullivan (SPRSVB) def. Lindsey Smith/Kaile Tuisamatatele (USMBVB) 21-11, 21-12
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

"Against SELA, we came out strong," Taylor said. "As the sun dropped we had to adapt again to playing in lights. The depth perception can be very different."

Southern Miss 5, SELA 0
In Friday's nightcap, Southern Miss faced off against SELA -- a first-year program. The Golden Eagles, who were in a similar boat during last year's inaugural season, dominated en route to a 5-0 win. Favre and Hepworth opened the lead early with a 21-19, 21-19 win on court four against Hannah Barosh and Michelle Mirarchi. Hanback and Garraway turned in a similar result, winning 22-20 and 21-16 on court five against Kyle Smith and Caroline Starns.

Hop and Phelan bounced back from their morning loss to win in three sets against Jolie Hidalgo and Serena Wagner. They won 21-13, 12-21, 15-9 to secure the win for Southern Miss. Grandy and Wilson followed with an impressive win on court one via a 21-15, 21-14 win. Matsumoto and Lawler rounded out the shutout with a 21-17, 21-12 win against Ariana Hebert and Sam Gomez.

1. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USMBVB) def. Scuderi, Meagan/Wilkerson, Karlee (SLU) 21-15, 21-14
2. Piper Matsumoto/Madison Lawler (USMBVB) def. Hebert, Ariana/Gomez, Sam (SLU) 21-17, 21-12
3. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USMBVB) def. Hidalgo, Jolie/Wagner, Serena (SLU) 21-13, 12-21, 15-9
4. Breleigh Favre/Olivia Hepworth (USMBVB) def. Barosh, Hannah/Mirarchi, Michelle (SLU) 21-19, 21-19
5. Kinsley Hanback/Kellie Garraway (USMBVB) def. Smith, Kyle/Starns, Caroline (SLU) 22-20, 21-16
Ext. Lindsey Smith/Kaile Tuisamatatele (USMBVB) vs. Calvaruso, Marisa/Low, Lizzy (SLU) 20-22, 21-9, 5-11, unfinished
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2

"Overall, an incredible day and always good when you come away with a pair of wins," Taylor said. "The team is starting to relax and play some quality volleyball. We're looking forward to the opportunity to compete again tomorrow."

Next Up
The Golden Eagles kick off day two of the Invitational against Texas A&M - Kingsville at 11 a.m. and ULM at 3 p.m. tomorrow.