
Volleyball Earns Decisive Victory at Old Dominion
11/10/2022 9:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORFOLK, Va. – Southern Miss volleyball escapes a five-set thriller over Old Dominion, prevailing 3-2 on the backs of Cara Atkinson (Gardendale, Ala. // Athens Renaissance School) and Mia Wesley's (Orem, Utah // Portland) 20 and 21 kill performances, respectively.
Southern Miss (18-9, 10-5 Sun Belt) opened the afternoon in Norfolk with a solid 25-19 win in the first set which the Monarchs quickly shrugged off. Old Dominion (11-15, 6-7 Sun Belt) took an early lead and never faltered, although the Black & Gold rallied to within five, leaving the final score of the frame at 25-20 in favor of ODU.
The Golden Eagles rebounded in the middle frame to take a 2-1 advantage overall after outlasting the Monarchs 25-20.
Old Dominion took an early lead in the fourth, but Southern Miss wrestled it from their grasp to tie but were unable to hold on as the Monarchs thumped the Golden Eagles to close out the set, 25-14.
In the final frame, Southern Miss' hopes looked to be dashed as they fell behind 10-4. After a Golden Eagle timeout, the game looked to be stamped in blue and silver.
However, Southern Miss rallied back to tie the stanza at 10 a piece before pushing the frame to extra points.
The Black & Gold eventually outlasted Old Dominion 18-16 to take the frame and set. The win marked the Golden Eagles' tenth in the Sun Belt Conference, the first time the squad has seen double-digit conference wins since 2016.
Cara Atkinson had a career day, shattering her old high in kills with 20 and a .484 hit percentage. Atkinson was also perfect on the night behind the service line, connecting on all 17 attempts.
Lauren Talbert (Hampton, Ga. // Presbyterian) landed four aces against the Monarchs, the most of either team on the night.
Kenzie Smith (Manhattan, Kan. // Kansas State) also set a new career-high with 17 digs which lead the Golden Eagles. Smith also tallied 48 assists and four kills.
Up Next
Southern Miss closes out the 2022 regular season at the ODU Volleyball Center tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT.
The match will be streamed on ESPN+ from Norfolk, Va. Links can be found at SouthernMiss.com.
Southern Miss (18-9, 10-5 Sun Belt) opened the afternoon in Norfolk with a solid 25-19 win in the first set which the Monarchs quickly shrugged off. Old Dominion (11-15, 6-7 Sun Belt) took an early lead and never faltered, although the Black & Gold rallied to within five, leaving the final score of the frame at 25-20 in favor of ODU.
The Golden Eagles rebounded in the middle frame to take a 2-1 advantage overall after outlasting the Monarchs 25-20.
Old Dominion took an early lead in the fourth, but Southern Miss wrestled it from their grasp to tie but were unable to hold on as the Monarchs thumped the Golden Eagles to close out the set, 25-14.
In the final frame, Southern Miss' hopes looked to be dashed as they fell behind 10-4. After a Golden Eagle timeout, the game looked to be stamped in blue and silver.
However, Southern Miss rallied back to tie the stanza at 10 a piece before pushing the frame to extra points.
The Black & Gold eventually outlasted Old Dominion 18-16 to take the frame and set. The win marked the Golden Eagles' tenth in the Sun Belt Conference, the first time the squad has seen double-digit conference wins since 2016.
Cara Atkinson had a career day, shattering her old high in kills with 20 and a .484 hit percentage. Atkinson was also perfect on the night behind the service line, connecting on all 17 attempts.
Lauren Talbert (Hampton, Ga. // Presbyterian) landed four aces against the Monarchs, the most of either team on the night.
Kenzie Smith (Manhattan, Kan. // Kansas State) also set a new career-high with 17 digs which lead the Golden Eagles. Smith also tallied 48 assists and four kills.
Up Next
Southern Miss closes out the 2022 regular season at the ODU Volleyball Center tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT.
The match will be streamed on ESPN+ from Norfolk, Va. Links can be found at SouthernMiss.com.
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Players Mentioned
Episode 5: Forged In Fire
Wednesday, November 29
Episode 4:Forged In Fire
Friday, November 03
Volleyball HC Jenny Hazelwood and Junior Mia Wesley- Arkansas State Postgame
Saturday, October 21
Episode 3: Forged In Fire
Thursday, October 19