Southern Miss Falls to LA Tech in Four Sets

Saturday, October 30

Hattiesburg, Miss.

2 p.m.

Southern Miss

LA Tech

Southern Miss Falls to LA Tech in Four Sets

10/30/2021 4:26:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Golden Eagles (11-15, 3-9 C-USA) fell to the LA Tech Lady Techsters on Saturday, Oct. 30 in four sets (24-26, 25-15, 23-25, 21-25).

Mia Wesley led the Golden Eagle offense with 21 kills, while Lauren Talbert contributed 13 kills and 10 digs throughout the contest. Kenzie Smith dished out 43 assists and tallied 17 digs against the Lady Techsters.

Set One, Southern Miss 24, LA Tech 26: The Golden Eagles struggled out of the gate, falling behind to the Lady Techsters by a score of 5-1. Southern Miss was able to recover from a slow start and slowly chipped away at the deficit before taking a 13-12 lead on LA Tech.

Southern Miss and LA Tech battled throughout the rest of the set, which saw seven tied scores and four lead changes, as the teams were deadlocked at 24-24. The Golden Eagles were unable to close it out, dropping the first set by a score of 26-24.

Lauren Talbert led all Southern Miss hitters with four kills in the opening frame. The Golden Eagle backcourt racked up 23 digs in the first set, as Southern Miss trailed, 1-0 heading into set two.

Set Two, Southern Miss 25, LA Tech 15: The Golden Eagles were able to open up the second set after a back and forth start, as Southern Miss used a 7-0 scoring run to take a 15-7 lead on LA Tech. The Lady Techsters were unable to recover, as Southern Miss tied the match following a 25-15 set victory.

Southern Miss improved on the offensive side of the ball, with 18 kills and a hitting percentage of .359 as a team. The Golden Eagle defense was able to hold LA Tech to nine kills, racking up 17 digs in the second set.

Wesley exploded offensively in the second frame, with 10 kills with a hitting percentage of .600. Kenzie Smith dished out 15 assists and put up five digs for the Golden Eagles as Southern Miss tied the match, 1-1.

Set Three, Southern Miss 23, LA Tech 25: LA Tech found itself with a 12-6 lead over the Golden Eagles in the third set, following a 6-0 run from the Lady Techsters. Southern Miss battled to stay in the frame, and the Golden Eagles found themselves trailing by a score of 24-20 late in the frame. Despite a 3-0 run from Southern Miss, LA Tech won the set by a score of 25-23 and took a 2-1 lead in the match.

Wesley contributed five of the Golden Eagles' 14 set three kills, but it was not enough to secure the frame for Southern Miss. Smith distributed 12 assists for the Black and Gold, while the Southern Mis backcourt tallied 22 digs.

Set Four, Southern Miss 21, LA Tech 25: Southern Miss was unable to overcome an early deficit, as LA Tech won the fourth set by a score of 25-21. Wesley added five kills to her match totals, while the defense recorded 21 digs.

Up Next:
The Golden Eagles head to Montgomery, Ala. for a non-conference tilt against the Alabama State Hornets. The match will take place on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m.

Follow Southern Miss volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @SouthernMissVB and on Facebook at facebook.com/SouthernMissVB.