Golden Eagles Fall in Two-Match Opener at Georgia State's Diggin' Duals

Friday, April 9

Atlanta, Ga.

9 a.m. CT

Southern Miss

No. 19 Georgia State

Photo by: Gregg Ellman

Golden Eagles Fall in Two-Match Opener at Georgia State's Diggin' Duals

4/9/2021 2:03:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

ATLANTA -- The Southern Miss beach volleyball team squared off against No. 19 Georgia State and No. 18 South Carolina on Friday, falling 4-1 and 5-0, respectively, to open tournament play in Georgia.

"We just added a couple of players to the fray after the conclusion of the indoor season," head coach Shawn Taylor said. "We're still trying to figure out how and where they can best help us. Chemistry and communication play a large role in our ability to have success, and that takes time to build."

Two points in the third set of the nightcap was all that separated Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson from picking up a second win of the day. They had also rallied from a 22-20 deficit against the Panthers to win the next two, 21-13 and 15-13.

Kaylie Beck was paired with Madison Lawler in each battle, the freshman's first time not playing with Melanie Miller. The same also went for Olivia Hepworth and Hallie Phelan, who have each had two partners varied throughout the spring.

"We are working hard to be in championship form knowing that a portion of our roster is essentially in preseason," Taylor said. "We're using this entire week to evaluate and give ourselves the best chance of competing at the conference championships. I saw some very promising things today, and we're still about making it happen more and more."

Southern Miss concludes weekend play with the same times Saturday, first seeing South Carolina at 9 a.m. CT, followed by Georgia State at 11:30.

Georgia State 4, Southern Miss 1
1. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) def. Eden Hawes/Maddy Delmonte (GSUBVB) 20-22, 21-13, 15-13
2. Kate Novack/Kelly Dorn (GSUBVB) def. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Haley Hop (USM) 21-8, 21-14
3. Olivia Stasevich/Mattie Johnson (GSUBVB) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-13, 21-9
4. Bekah Brodbeck/Meagan McCall (GSUBVB) def. Hallie Phelan/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 21-12, 21-12
5. Angel Ferary/Bella Ferary (GSUBVB) def. Kaylie Beck/Madison Lawler (USM) 22-20, 21-10
Ext. Elise Saga/Becky Tresham (GSUBVB) def. Kai Norman/Melanie Miller (USM) 21-8, 21-9

South Carolina 5, Southern Miss 0
1. Skylar Allen/Katie Smith (SC) def. Kylie Grandy/Abbey Wilson (USM) 21-15, 16-21, 15-13
2. Madison Brabham/Avery Davis (SC) def. Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou/Haley Hop (USM) 21-15, 21-19
3. Jess Vastine/Jordan Smith (SC) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-10, 21-17
4. Alyssa Keller/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Hallie Phelan/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 21-13, 21-11
5. Morgyn Greer/Carly Schnieder (SC) def. Kaylie Beck/Madison Lawler (USM) 21-14, 21-15
Ext. Kaeli Crews/Abby Carroll (SC) def. Kai Norman/Melanie Miller (USM) 21-9, 21-15