Golden Eagles Win First Two Matchups of Southern Miss Classic

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss volleyball team picked up a pair of victories in their first two matchups of the Southern Miss Classic. The Golden Eagles first defeated MVSU in straight sets before knocking off SIU, 3-1 to start the season 2-0.

Game One: Southern Miss 3, MVSU 0

The Golden Eagles opened the Southern Miss Classic with a matchup against MVSU. Junior outside hitter led the way for Southern Miss, racking up 12 kills in the season-opening victory.

Sophomore Maddie Stayer set a new career-high in assists, leading Southern Miss with 23 in the match.

Defensively, five Golden Eagles recorded five or more digs, with senior Kellie Garraway leading the pack with seven.

Southern Miss troubled MVSU with its serving throughout the match, as the Golden Eagles finished with 13 aces. Senior Lauren Talbert set a new career-high with six aces against the Delta Devils

Set One, Southern Miss 25, MVSU 10: Southern Miss opened its match against MVSU with a dominant 25-10 set one win. The Golden Eagles outperformed Mississippi Valley State offensively throughout the set, racking up 12 kills to MVSU's three.

The Black and Gold also recorded four service aces, including three from sophomore Mia Wesley. Junior setter Kenzie Smith racked up 11 assists in the first set.

Set Two, Southern Miss 25, MVSU 15: The Golden Eagles used the momentum gained in set one to win the second frame, 25-15. Guillemaud tallied six kills in set two, leading her team offensively.

Southern Miss strung together another strong set, putting up 15 kills. Junior Gillian Hidalgo and senior Lauren Talbert both recorded two services aces as Southern Miss took a 2-0 lead over the Delta Devils.

Set Three, Southern Miss 25, MVSU 15: Southern Miss completed the sweep in the third set, winning the frame, 25-15. The Golden Eagles increased their offensive output, tallying 16 kills to MVSU's nine.

Guillemaud once again recorded six kills in the set, followed closely by Hidalgo with four. The Delta Devils were unable to solve Talbert's serves during the third set, as the senior put up four aces on the way to a Southern Miss victory.

Game Two: Southern Miss 3, SIU 1

Southern Miss bounced back following a difficult first set to pick up the win against SIU by a score of 3-1.

Wesley led Southern Miss with 13 kills on the night, followed by Moratzka with 11 and Leinen and Atkinson with 10.

Defensively, Giroux tallied 26 digs to lead the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss also served up five aces in the win.

The Black and Gold out-hit SIU, posting a hitting percentage of .224 compared to the Salukis' .057. Smith posted a team-high 40 assists to help lead her team to a 2-0 record.

Set One, Southern Miss 22, SIU 25: SIU jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning the first set, 25-22. Southern Miss had trouble generating offense in the first set, as the Salukis out attacked the Golden Eagles with 13 kills to nine.

Set Two, Southern Miss 25, SIU 17: Southern Miss bounced back in set two, tying up the contest 1-1 after winning the second frame, 25-17. Moratzka and Wesley both recorded five kills, while Smith put up 11 assists enroute to a set win.

The Golden Eagles out worked SIU offensively, posting 18 kills to the Salukis' 10. Hanback added four kills for Southern Miss, as she hit at a .800 clip for the set.

Set Three, Southern Miss 25, SIU 15: The Golden Eagles kept rolling during the third set, winning the frame decisively, 25-15. Freshman Cara Atkinson led Southern Miss with five of the team's 16 during set three.

Smith added another 12 assists for the Black and Gold, while Aliah Giroux, Lindsey Legg and Talbert recorded three digs each. The Golden Eagles hit at a .438 clip during the third set, as they took the lead on SIU, 2-1.

Set Four, Southern Miss 25, SIU 17: Southern Miss closed out the match in the fourth set after imposing their will over SIU by a score of 25-17. Reagan Leinen recorded four kills in the final set, while Smith again had assists in double digits yet again, finishing her night with 40.

Quotes:

Following the first day of the Southern Miss Classic, Wesley spoke about how today was a step the team needed.

"I think we had that final breakthrough that we've been looking for," Wesley said. "Everybody played up to a super high level that we kept the whole time. We're very scrappy as a team and we got a lot of balls off the floor. Overall, we just played well as a team."

Head coach Stephanie Radecki was complimentary of the play of many of her athletes following the SIU match.

"I saw some great changes in our team," Radecki said. "We definitely evolved as a team in that last match. We saw some great offensive performances from Duquesne, Cara, Mia and Kinsley. Kenzie also did an amazing job blocking and distributing the ball to our hitters."

The Golden Eagles look to build upon the momentum they gained in day one of the Southern Miss Classic for tomorrow's matches. Southern Miss takes on USC Upstate a 12 p.m., followed by a matchup with Louisiana at 5 p.m. Admission at the Wellness Center is free and fans can catch the action at CUSA.tv.

Golden Eagles Win First Two Matchups of Southern Miss Classic

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Team Stats

Liana Guillemaud

Gillian Hidalgo

Chloe Klusman

Ari Barksdale

Players Mentioned

Cara Atkinson

Aliah Giroux

Gillian Hidalgo

Lindsey Legg

Reagan Leinen

Kenzie Smith

Maddie Stayer

Lauren Talbert

Mia Wesley