Friday, December 2
Troy, Ala.
5 PM
Southern Miss
20-11,10-6Sun Belt
3
vs
0
UT Martin (Second Round)
23-12,15-3OVC
1
2
3
F
Southern Miss.
25
28
25
3
UT Martin
4
26
21
0
Hazelwood Makes History in Sweep Over UT Martin to Continue NIVC Run
12/2/2022 7:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
TROY, Ala. --Â Jenny Hazelwood became the winningest first-year coach in program history on Friday night when the Southern Miss women's volleyball team swept (25-4, 28-26, 25-21) UT Martin (23-12, 12-5 OVC) in the second round of the NIVC Tournament. With the win in Troy, Ala., the Golden Eagles (20-11, 10-6 SBC) advance to the quarterfinals on Dec. 6-8.
The tone was set from the start when Southern Miss dominated UT Martin in the first set via a 25-4 win. The Skyhawks scored the first point of the night, but backed by Cailin Demps' four first-set kills, the Golden Eagles went on a 25-3 run. Cara Atkinson and Mia Wesley each added four kills as the Golden Eagles hit .406 in the first set. The four points allowed were the fewest allowed in a single set this season.Â
UT Martin woke up in the second set and gave the Golden Eagles a fight. The two teams traded leads nine times in the set and were tied 14 times. Southern Miss clawed back to force set point after an Atkinson kill made it 24-21. However, the Skyhawks ripped off four-straight points to force set point of their own at 25-24. An Atkinson kill off a Kenzie Smith assist, and a Wesley kill off a Lindsey Legg assist, gave the Southern Miss another set point at 26-25. Again, UT Martin tied it. This time, though, Reagan Leinen and Demps took matters into their own hands. Leinen gave Southern Miss set point and Demps sealed the victory to give it a 2-0 lead.Â
The Golden Eagles again fell behind in the third set and trailed by as many as four at the halfway point. Any Golden Eagle rally was answered by the Skyhawks until Atkinson started a 5-0 run to put Southern Miss ahead, 18-16. UT Martin's Karen Scanlon tied it at 20-all before Southern Miss went on another run. This 4-0 run proved to be too much for the OVC team and Demps took a big swing that found the floor to send the Golden Eagles to the next round of the NIVC.Â
Atkinson and Demps each finished with a match-high 14 kills. Demps hit a scorching .500, while Atkinson converted at a .440 clip. Wesley, who now has the most kills by a sophomore in program history, finished with nine kills. As a team, Southern Miss hit .262 with 16 errors. The Golden Eagle defense limited the Skyhawks to a .000 hitting percentage.Â
Libero Megan Harris recorded 27 digs to lead all players and Wesley added 10. Smith dished out 37 assists to lead all setters.Â
The Golden Eagles will play in the quarterfinals on Dec. 6-8. They will play the winner of the Liberty quadrant that includes Clemson, Western Carolina, Toledo and the Flame.Â
The tone was set from the start when Southern Miss dominated UT Martin in the first set via a 25-4 win. The Skyhawks scored the first point of the night, but backed by Cailin Demps' four first-set kills, the Golden Eagles went on a 25-3 run. Cara Atkinson and Mia Wesley each added four kills as the Golden Eagles hit .406 in the first set. The four points allowed were the fewest allowed in a single set this season.Â
UT Martin woke up in the second set and gave the Golden Eagles a fight. The two teams traded leads nine times in the set and were tied 14 times. Southern Miss clawed back to force set point after an Atkinson kill made it 24-21. However, the Skyhawks ripped off four-straight points to force set point of their own at 25-24. An Atkinson kill off a Kenzie Smith assist, and a Wesley kill off a Lindsey Legg assist, gave the Southern Miss another set point at 26-25. Again, UT Martin tied it. This time, though, Reagan Leinen and Demps took matters into their own hands. Leinen gave Southern Miss set point and Demps sealed the victory to give it a 2-0 lead.Â
The Golden Eagles again fell behind in the third set and trailed by as many as four at the halfway point. Any Golden Eagle rally was answered by the Skyhawks until Atkinson started a 5-0 run to put Southern Miss ahead, 18-16. UT Martin's Karen Scanlon tied it at 20-all before Southern Miss went on another run. This 4-0 run proved to be too much for the OVC team and Demps took a big swing that found the floor to send the Golden Eagles to the next round of the NIVC.Â
Atkinson and Demps each finished with a match-high 14 kills. Demps hit a scorching .500, while Atkinson converted at a .440 clip. Wesley, who now has the most kills by a sophomore in program history, finished with nine kills. As a team, Southern Miss hit .262 with 16 errors. The Golden Eagle defense limited the Skyhawks to a .000 hitting percentage.Â
Libero Megan Harris recorded 27 digs to lead all players and Wesley added 10. Smith dished out 37 assists to lead all setters.Â
The Golden Eagles will play in the quarterfinals on Dec. 6-8. They will play the winner of the Liberty quadrant that includes Clemson, Western Carolina, Toledo and the Flame.Â
Team Stats
USM
UTM
Kills
48
19
Errors
16
19
Attempts
122
114
Hitting %
.262
.000
Points
59
27
Assists
43
16
Aces
5
3
Blocks
6
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballOH/RS
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/ Women's VolleyballOH
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