Southern Miss Finishes Play in Gulf Shores with Three Matches

GULF SHORES, Ala. -- Inclement weather on Saturday made for an absolute marathon for the Southern Miss beach volleyball team Sunday, falling to Tulane twice and No. 7 TCU to wrap up its beachside tournament.

"This was a great opportunity for us to evaluate growth," head coach Shawn Taylor said. "We haven't seen FSU since the first weekend and TCU since the second with Tulane a couple of weeks ago. The growth individually and as a team has been amazing. The scores reflect that but even our decision-making process and ability to make plays. We talk a lot about going for winners when presented the opportunity. I thought that top-to-bottom we did a great job of going for it."

Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson fell three points shy of taking two on the day, falling 15-12 in the final set to No. 7 TCU before winning 21-14, 22-20 against Tulane to close it out. The pair is now 19-14 on the season.

Madison Lawler and Olivia Hepworth earned the team's other point of the day, rallying from a 21-12 loss in the second to win 15-11 in the third to begin the day. The only lineup variations for the tripleheader were Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou and Kai Norman taking No. 5 the last two matches in place of Kaylie Beck and Melanie Miller.

"Hats off to Florida State for the massive undertaking of putting this tournament on," Taylor said. "There were many adjustments that had to be made due to COVID and weather. To have the opportunity to play right where they host the national championship is something special. It gives us plenty to shoot for looking forward."

Next up for the Golden Eagles is a trip to Huntsville, Ala., for the CCSA Championships, which run Friday-Sunday.

Tulane 4, Southern Miss 1
1. Eva Torruella/Kendall Peters (TUL) def. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) 21-17, 19-21, 15-9
2. Addie Hermstad/Samantha Mehlman (TUL) def. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) 21-13, 21-9
3. Avery Arellano/Tarin Mergener (TUL) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-15, 22-20
4. Madison Lawler/Olivia Hepworth (USM) def. Lara Torruella/Ashton Mares (TUL) 21-15, 12-21, 15-11
5. Rio Frohoff/Maddie Speicher (TUL) def. Kaylie Beck/Melanie Miller (USM) 19-21, 21-17, 15-7

TCU 5, Southern Miss 0
1. Olivia Blackburn/Hailey Brockett (TCU) def. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) 21-19, 16-21, 15-12
2. Danela Alvarez/Maria Gonzalez (TCU) def. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) 21-17, 21-18
3. Rochelle Scott/Peyton Yamagata (TCU) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-17, 21-6
4. Tara Patton/Trinity Cavanaugh (TCU) def. Madison Lawler/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 21-10, 21-15
5. Hayley Boll/Megan Jacobsen (TCU) def. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Kai Norman (USM) 21-15, 21-15

Tulane 4, Southern Miss 1
1. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) def. Eva Torruella/Kendall Peters (TUL) 21-14, 22-20
2. Addie Hermstad/Samantha Mehlman (TUL) def. Hallie Phelan/Haley Hop (USM) 21-9, 17-21, 15-6
3. Avery Arellano/Tarin Mergener (TUL) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-15, 18-21, 15-9
4. Lara Torruella/Ashton Mares (TUL) def. Madison Lawler/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 21-11, 21-16
5. Rio Frohoff/Maddie Speicher (TUL) def. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Kai Norman (USM) 21-13, 21-12

Southern Miss Finishes Play in Gulf Shores with Three Matches

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Players Mentioned

Kaylie Beck

Breleigh Favre

Kellie Garraway

Kylie Grandy

Olivia Hepworth

Haley Hop

Madison Lawler

Melanie Miller

Kai Norman

Hallie Phelan

Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou

Abbey Wilson