Beach Volleyball Beats Nicholls, Finishes 2-2 at Tulane Classic

Saturday, March 12

Elmwood, La. / White Sands Beach Volleyball

10:45 A.M.

Southern Miss

New Orleans

Beach Volleyball Beats Nicholls, Finishes 2-2 at Tulane Classic

3/12/2022 11:52:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

Box Score - New Orleans (PDF)Box Score - Nicholls (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – Beach volleyball finishes 2-2 after two days at the Tulane Classic.

"It was nice to pick up two wins on the weekend," said head coach Shawn Taylor. "I felt like there was potential to do more. I do not feel like we did our best to prepare for the weekend during practice last week—that is on me. We will keep working to perform at our best."

New Orleans 3, Southern Miss 2
Matches at Tulane's White Sands Beach Volleyball Complex were delayed one hour due to cold weather. Once it warmed up, Southern Miss took the sands against New Orleans for the team's third matchup of the weekend.

At the conclusion of the first wave of duals against the Privateers, Southern Miss' fourth and fifth flights gave the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead. No. 4 pair Hallie Phelan and Reagan Sandlin and No. 5 Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou and Kai Norman both took their respective duals in two sets.

UNO would go on to sweep the second wave of duals at the first, second and third flight. At the first pairing, Breleigh Favre and Kellie Garraway fell in two sets, 16-21, 17-21. No. 2 flight pair Vanessa Hurnikova and Aleksandra Chudzik also fell in straight sets, 17-21, 18-21.

In the final match of the second wave, Southern Miss third pairing Taylor Pierce and Olivia Hepworth lost in a three-set thriller 20-22, 21-17, 15-17. The win would seal the day for the Privateers.

At the extension, the Golden Eagles pairing of Carmen Sanchez Delgado and Wiio Meinheit came up short in two matches, 18-21 and 19-21.

"The win was pretty brutal today," said Coach Taylor. "We struggled in the first matchup to consistently put pressure on UNO. When Siakidou/Norman scored the first point of the match for us. Phelan/Sandlin were right behind them in a third set thriller. Being up 2-0 with three teams left to play had us in the driver's seat. I thought we had a solid chance at the 3s with Pierce/Hepworth, but UNO just did a better job of managing the wind."

Southern Miss 5, Nicholls 0
The Golden Eagles kept the same lineups at flights 1-5 for the second match of the day against Nicholls. The only change came at the extension where Madison Cassidy and Wiio Meinheit took the slot.

The Black & Gold jumped out to an early lead against the Colonels and never looked back, winning all but one set in the match. In the first wave, No. 5 Siakidou/Norman took the match in straight sets, 21-7, 21-9. The only dual to last longer than two sets was at flight four where Phelan/Sandlin rebounded from a second set loss to take the third set 15-9.

The brooms came out in the second wave as Southern Miss finished off Nicholls in straight sets on all courts. Favre/Garraway, Hurnikova/Chudzik and Pierce/Hepworth. The win is the squad's second on the weekend and third overall.

Up Next
Southern Miss continues its season with a Spring Break tour of California. The Golden Eagles embark on a seven-game trip that includes stops in Malibu, Calif., Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, Calif. The trip includes matchups against some of the country's best opponents, including Pepperdine, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Cal Poly and California.

The Black & Gold begin the week on Thursday, March 17 at Pepperdine's Malibu Invite. In two games, Southern Miss faces host No. 15 Pepperdine and No. 14 Long Beach State at Noon (CT) and 4 P.M. (CT), respectively.

The next day, the Golden Eagles travel to the City of Angels for a doubleheader against No. 6 Loyola Marymount. Matches against the Lions start at Noon (CT) with the last match of the twinbill beginning at the conclusion of the first.

After taking the day off, Southern Miss participates in the Cal Poly Tournament in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Taylor and crew have three matches set on Sunday, March 20. The Golden Eagles play No. 11 Cal Poly (11 A.M.), No. 10 Cal (2 P.M.) and Santa Clara (4 P.M.).

For updates, scores and more, follow Southern Miss on Twitter @SouthernMissBVB, on Instagram @southernmissbvb or at SouthernMiss.com.

New Orleans 3, Southern Miss 2
1. Lucie Pokorna/Ania Esarte (UNO) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-16, 21-17
2. Maxine Walsh/Hannah Volpi (UNO) def. Vanessa Hurnikova/Aleksandra Chudzik (USM) 21-17, 21-18
3. Alexa Spartz/Trinity Jackson (UNO) def. Taylor Pierce/Olivia Hepworth (USM) 20-22, 21-17, 17-15
4. Hallie Phelan/Reagan Sandlin (USM) def. Liz Gialanella/Taylore Louviere (UNO) 21-15, 21-17
5. Valeria Siakidou/Kai Norman (USM) def. Hailey Melerine/Valerie Vujnovich (UNO) 21-18, 21-19
Ext. Serena Baumgart/Tara Goolsby (UNO) def. Carmen Sanchez/Wiio Meinheit (USM) 21-18, 21-19

Southern Miss 5, Nicholls 0
1. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Kylie Lockhart/Devon Bright (NIC) 21-10, 21-13
2. Vanessa Hurnikova/Aleksandra Chudzik (USM) def. Emily Gauthreaux/Kadie Becnel (NIC) 21-9, 21-17
3. Taylor Pierce/Olivia Hepworth (USM) def. Kennedi Steele/Aspen Steele (NIC) 21-15, 21-13
4. Hallie Phelan/Reagan Sandlin (USM) def. Katie Jones/Kate Hoerdemann (NIC) 21-14, 13-21, 15-9
5. Valeria Siakidou/Kai Norman (USM) def. Yani Johnson/Ja'Mya Holmes (NIC) 21-7, 21-9
Ext. Madison Cassidy/Wiio Meinheit (USM) def. Caitlin Green/Valeria Vargas Leon (NIC) 21-7, 21-9