Thursday, December 1
Troy, Ala.
3 PM
Southern Miss
vs
Alabama State (First Round)
Golden Eagles Prepped for First NIVC Appearance
11/30/2022 10:30:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. --The Southern Miss women's volleyball team is set to take on Alabama State (20-14, 15-1 SWAC) in the opening round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship on Thursday afternoon in Troy, Ala. The winner of the Golden Eagles (18-11, 10-6 SBC) and Hornets will take on the winner of Troy and UT Martin on Friday afternoon.Â
The NIVC is the first postseason appearance of any kind in program history for Southern Miss. Head coach Jenny Hazelwood's Golden Eagles finished 18-11 and went 10-6 in Sun Belt play. The 10 Sun Belt wins gave Hazelwood the most conference wins by a first-year coach in program history and she's one win shy of tying the most wins by a first-year coach.Â
The Golden Eagles dropped its opening match in the Sun Belt Tournament to Georgia State on Nov. 17. The Eagles ultimately won 3-1 (23-25,23-25, 25-22, 11-25) in Foley, Ala. Mia Wesley -- who was First Team All-Sun Belt -- had 18 kills on a .239 hitting percentage. Cara Atkinson had 10 kills after being named Second Team All-Sun Belt. Kenzie Smith dished out 32 assists as she inches closer to 3,000 career assists.Â
Wesley in the Rankings
Scouting the NIVC Bracket
The Hornets are coming off a SWAC Championship appearance where they lost to Florida A&M in straight sets. Alabama State piled up 15 SWAC wins as it went into conference play with a 5-13 record. They are led by Jada Rhodes' 332 kills. Kalysia Bates has 300 kills and is averaging 2.50 per set. Bates also has 103 total blocks, including 36 solo blocks. The other match features UT Martin (22-11, 15-3 OVC) and Troy (18-12, 11-5 SBC). The Golden Eagles and Trojans split their two meetings with Southern Miss winning the first match, 3-2. Troy took the Saturday contest in straight sets.Â
The National Invitational Volleyball Championship
The NIVC is an annual tournament involving 32 to 40 of the nation's top women's Division I volleyball teams. All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Eight teams host rounds one and two in four-team pods. Each conference is given an automatic bid and the rest are selected from at-large bids.Â
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates.Â
The NIVC is the first postseason appearance of any kind in program history for Southern Miss. Head coach Jenny Hazelwood's Golden Eagles finished 18-11 and went 10-6 in Sun Belt play. The 10 Sun Belt wins gave Hazelwood the most conference wins by a first-year coach in program history and she's one win shy of tying the most wins by a first-year coach.Â
The Golden Eagles dropped its opening match in the Sun Belt Tournament to Georgia State on Nov. 17. The Eagles ultimately won 3-1 (23-25,23-25, 25-22, 11-25) in Foley, Ala. Mia Wesley -- who was First Team All-Sun Belt -- had 18 kills on a .239 hitting percentage. Cara Atkinson had 10 kills after being named Second Team All-Sun Belt. Kenzie Smith dished out 32 assists as she inches closer to 3,000 career assists.Â
Wesley in the Rankings
| Statistic | Player | National Rank | Conference Rank |
| Aces Per Set | Mia Wesley | 4 | 1 |
| Attacks Per Set | Mia Wesley | 3 | 1 |
| Kills Per Set | Mia Wesley | 8 | 1 |
| Points | Mia Wesley | 6 | 1 |
| Points Per Set | Mia Wesley | 8 | 1 |
| Service Aces | Mia Wesley | 3 | 1 |
| Total Attacks | Mia Wesley | 5 | 1 |
| Total Kills | Mia Wesley | 10 | 1 |
Scouting the NIVC Bracket
The Hornets are coming off a SWAC Championship appearance where they lost to Florida A&M in straight sets. Alabama State piled up 15 SWAC wins as it went into conference play with a 5-13 record. They are led by Jada Rhodes' 332 kills. Kalysia Bates has 300 kills and is averaging 2.50 per set. Bates also has 103 total blocks, including 36 solo blocks. The other match features UT Martin (22-11, 15-3 OVC) and Troy (18-12, 11-5 SBC). The Golden Eagles and Trojans split their two meetings with Southern Miss winning the first match, 3-2. Troy took the Saturday contest in straight sets.Â
The National Invitational Volleyball Championship
The NIVC is an annual tournament involving 32 to 40 of the nation's top women's Division I volleyball teams. All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Eight teams host rounds one and two in four-team pods. Each conference is given an automatic bid and the rest are selected from at-large bids.Â
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates.Â
Players Mentioned
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