Sunday, March 14
Columbia, S.C.
8 a.m. CT
Southern Miss
4
vs
1
Mercer
Photo by: Gregg Ellman
Golden Eagles Earn Second Split of Carolina Challenge
3/14/2021 4:48:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- An early-morning victory and nail-biting defeat were the stories of the day for the Southern Miss beach volleyball team, defeating Mercer 4-1 and falling to Coastal Carolina, 3-2, on Sunday.
"We played some great ball over the course of the weekend," head coach Shawn Taylor said. "At some point, everybody chipped into the effort and was able to score points. Kylie and Abbey had a great weekend, walking away 3-1 overall and their only loss coming at the end. Bre and Olivia showed some resilience taking a first-set loss to Mercer and then roaring back to win in three."
Coastal Carolina was receiving votes in the most-recent AVCA poll. It was Southern Miss' first 3-2 win to be decided at the tail end. The Golden Eagles left no doubt in the Mercer contest, taking the first three courts via sweeps. Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson (No. 1) and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou and Kai Norman (No. 3) each earned their team-best fifth wins over the season.
"Hallie and Haley let loose and the result speaks for itself. Kai and Vale continune to play at a consistent level. Mel and Kaylie are continuing to get better every weekend. We're starting to play better and better across the mark, and it's not even the halfway mark."
The Golden Eagles have four more matches coming up at the LSU Beach Invitational (Saturday and Sunday), where they will face South Carolina, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, New Orleans and the host Tigers.
Southern Miss 4, Mercer 1
1. Abbey Wilson/Kylie Grandy (USM) def. Gracie Garanich/Emilee Wissmach (MER) 21-15, 21-10Â
2. Breleigh Favre/Olivia Hepworth (USM) def. Elli Merchant/Olivia Boeve (MER) 13-21, 22-20, 15-7Â
3. Kacy Ogden/Maddie Nunley (MER) def. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) 24-22, 21-9Â
4. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Kai Norman (USM) def. Elena Sanfrey/Emily Leonard (MER) 21-12, 21-8Â
5. Melanie Miller/Kaylie Beck (USM) def. Ellie Miller/Hana Robertson (MER) 21-19, 21-16Â
Order of finish: Doubles (4,1,5,3,2)
Coastal Carolina 3, Southern Miss 2Â
1. Svobodova, Sarlota/Drobnjak, Irena (CCU) def. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) 21-16, 11-21, 18-16Â
2. Kragholm, Martine/Campbell, Lucy (CCU) def. Breleigh Favre/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 21-18, 21-17Â
3. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) def. Riedell, Sarah/Hanford, Ellie (CCU) 21-17, 21-15Â
4. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Kai Norman (USM) def. Ginther, Carli/Gonzalez, Emma (CCU) 24-22, 21-23, 15-11Â
5. Eske, Kalin/Lukacs, Kendra (CCU) def. Kaylie Beck/Melanie Miller (USM) 13-21, 23-21, 15-13
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,4,1,5)
"We played some great ball over the course of the weekend," head coach Shawn Taylor said. "At some point, everybody chipped into the effort and was able to score points. Kylie and Abbey had a great weekend, walking away 3-1 overall and their only loss coming at the end. Bre and Olivia showed some resilience taking a first-set loss to Mercer and then roaring back to win in three."
Coastal Carolina was receiving votes in the most-recent AVCA poll. It was Southern Miss' first 3-2 win to be decided at the tail end. The Golden Eagles left no doubt in the Mercer contest, taking the first three courts via sweeps. Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson (No. 1) and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou and Kai Norman (No. 3) each earned their team-best fifth wins over the season.
"Hallie and Haley let loose and the result speaks for itself. Kai and Vale continune to play at a consistent level. Mel and Kaylie are continuing to get better every weekend. We're starting to play better and better across the mark, and it's not even the halfway mark."
The Golden Eagles have four more matches coming up at the LSU Beach Invitational (Saturday and Sunday), where they will face South Carolina, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, New Orleans and the host Tigers.
Southern Miss 4, Mercer 1
1. Abbey Wilson/Kylie Grandy (USM) def. Gracie Garanich/Emilee Wissmach (MER) 21-15, 21-10Â
2. Breleigh Favre/Olivia Hepworth (USM) def. Elli Merchant/Olivia Boeve (MER) 13-21, 22-20, 15-7Â
3. Kacy Ogden/Maddie Nunley (MER) def. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) 24-22, 21-9Â
4. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Kai Norman (USM) def. Elena Sanfrey/Emily Leonard (MER) 21-12, 21-8Â
5. Melanie Miller/Kaylie Beck (USM) def. Ellie Miller/Hana Robertson (MER) 21-19, 21-16Â
Order of finish: Doubles (4,1,5,3,2)
Coastal Carolina 3, Southern Miss 2Â
1. Svobodova, Sarlota/Drobnjak, Irena (CCU) def. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) 21-16, 11-21, 18-16Â
2. Kragholm, Martine/Campbell, Lucy (CCU) def. Breleigh Favre/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 21-18, 21-17Â
3. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) def. Riedell, Sarah/Hanford, Ellie (CCU) 21-17, 21-15Â
4. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Kai Norman (USM) def. Ginther, Carli/Gonzalez, Emma (CCU) 24-22, 21-23, 15-11Â
5. Eske, Kalin/Lukacs, Kendra (CCU) def. Kaylie Beck/Melanie Miller (USM) 13-21, 23-21, 15-13
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,4,1,5)
Players Mentioned
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/ Beach Volleyball
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