Southern Miss Opens Season at Florida State Beach Bash

Saturday, February 26

Tallahassee, Fla. / Seminole Beach Volleyball Courts

10:45 A.M.

Southern Miss

Tampa

Southern Miss Opens Season at Florida State Beach Bash

2/25/2022 2:00:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss looks to open its fourth season in Tallahassee, Fla. at the Florida State Beach Bash.

"We are excited for the opportunity to go compete," head coach Shawn Taylor said. "One of the reasons we really wanted to get back and open up at FSU this year was because of the high level of talent we encountered last year. This weekend looks to be no different."

The Golden Eagles are set to play four matches in two days. The first two against Tampa (10:45 A.M.) and #13 Florida Atlantic (2:30 P.M.) on Saturday followed by matches against North Florida (8:15 A.M.) and #6 TCU (2:30 P.M.) on Sunday. All times listed are Central, and live stats will be provided by Florida State. Links to each game will be posted on the schedule.

Coming off of a rigorous fall schedule, coach Shawn Taylor and company return to the sand after an 11-win 2021 season highlighted by a win CCSA conference foe ULM and a 3-0 sweep of New Orleans.

"I'm really pleased with our progress this far in the year. We have delt with the cold, the rain and the heat since starting practice in August. As we continue to grow our program it is evident that our depth is increasing. This makes us a much more potent team. We are also looking to our upperclassmen, who now have an idea of how we are trying to play the game. They should be able to better capitalize on opportunities opponents might yield along with being able to remain aggressive while minimizing our errors. It's time to go play somebody else and I feel this group is up for the challenge," said head coach Shawn Taylor.

Miss is led by its eight returning letterwinners from the 2021 season, three of which (Breleigh Favre, Kellie Garraway and Olivia Hepworth) have been with the program since its inception in 2019. Eight freshman also join the Golden Eagles squad and should contribute to the squad immediately.

Southern Miss takes on Division II Tampa for the first match of the 2022 season on Saturday, Feb. 26. The matchup is the first between the Golden Eagles and Spartans. The Spartans program is entering its fifth year and has seen tremendous success over the previous four years. The program has posted a winning record in every season and has appeared in the AVCA Small College Championships three times, winning two.

Coach Taylor had this to say about the Spartans: "Tampa has dominated the NCAA Division II ranks since the inception of that program. They've even been on the cusp of cracking the AVCA's Top 20 rankings. In short, they can compete with any program out there."

The Black & Gold's second matchup on opening day is a familiar opponent in the 13th ranked FAU Sandy Owls. FAU leads the all-time series 1-0 with the last meeting coming on Apr. 24, 2021 in the CCSA Championships. The Sandy Owls would go on to claim the 2021 CCSA Title and finish the season with a 20-10 overall record.

"FAU took home the conference championship last year and were responsible for ending our season. It will be a good early test to see how we measure up and what areas we need to continue to grow in so we can be prepared down the stretch," Coach Taylor said.

The match against FAU also marks a first in program and conference history. The match is the first between fellow members of Conference USA Beach Volleyball in C-USA's inaugural season. FAU also boasts two members of the C-USA Beach Volleyball Preseason Team – Mackenzie Morris and C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Erica Brok.

The Golden Eagles return to the sands on Sunday, Feb. 27 with the first match against the North Florida Ospreys. North Florida finished last season 24-10 and cracked the AVCA Top 20 for the first time in program history. Four Ospreys (Lauren Galinis, Taryn Griffey, Carleigh Semeniuk and Callie Workman) were named to the All-ASUN Preseason Team. North Florida fell just short of the AVCA Preseason Poll and will be another tough opponent for the Black & Gold.

This will mark the second time the two squads face off and the first in three years. On Mar. 23, 2019, the Ospreys clipped the Golden Eagles wings during their inaugural season at the Tiger Beach Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.

Southern Miss finishes the Florida State Beach Bash with an afternoon bout against 6th-ranked TCU. The Horned Frogs return to the sands after a 26-10 2021 season highlighted by three members of the Preseason CCSA All-Conference Team. The match will be the first between Southern Miss and TCU.

Previewing the Horned Frogs, head coach Shawn Taylor said, "Between the returning players and some key transfers they've picked up, they will be a force and should be in contention for a national championship at the end of the season."

All matchups of the Florida State Beach Bash will use StatBroadcast to report action as it occurs. Links to each match can be found on the Southern Miss beach volleyball schedule.

Following this weekend series, Southern Miss returns to action at LSU's Tiger Beach Challenge in Baton Rouge, La where they take on C-USA opponent UAB, Tulane, LSU, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Texas A&M – Kingsville.

Follow the Southern Miss beach volleyball team on social media, @SouthernMissBVB on Twitter and @southernmissbvb for updates and more.