Beach Volleyball Falls to the Elimination Bracket After Day One Loss; Looks to Survive and Advance Against ULM Tomorrow

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – (6) Southern Miss falls to (3) Georgia State in day one of the C-USA Beach Volleyball Championships.

"It was our first look at Georgia state this spring," said Golden Eagle coach Shawn Taylor. "They're a great team. They proved it with a win against us and followed it up with a 4-1 win against FIU. With that being said, I thought we had a chance to pick up a win.

Taylor Pierce and Olivia Hepworth were able to make adjustments and come back with a great win. Carmen Sanchez Delgado and Kai Norman came up just short in three and I really felt like Kellie Garraway and Vanessa Hurnikova had a chance to push their match to a third set. We were a few plays away from making some great things happen and earning that spot to play against FIU."

(3) Georgia State 4, (6) Southern Miss 1
The sixth-seed Golden Eagles (11-25, 1-4 C-USA) fell to the third overall seed Georgia State Panthers earlier today. The Panthers (25-11, 5-3 C-USA) continued in the winner's side of the bracket, facing (2) FIU later in the afternoon.

GSU clipped FIU 4-1, advancing to the semifinals and now awaiting (1) Florida Atlantic for a Friday showdown and a berth to the title game on the line.

The Golden Eagles fielded their usual lineup against Georgia State. Breleigh Favre and Aleksandra Chudzik continued their top flight pairing but fell in two sets to the Panther 1s.

Finishing second on the day, relatively new pair Hallie Phelan and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou returned to the fourth position, also falling in two sets.

Vanessa Hurnikova and Kellie Garraway came up just short in two sets, falling 1021 in the first and forcing extra points in the second before falling 20-22.

Flight No. 3 duo Taylor Pierce and Olivia Hepworth, though the match was already lost, continued to fight hard against the Panthers.

Despite losing by an eight-point margin in the first set, the pair rallied back for two straight victories in sets two and three. In the second, the duo won 21-16 before sealing the only Black & Gold point of the day with a 15-12 rubber set victory.

Rounding out the pairs, No. 5 pair Carmen Sanchez Delgado and Kai Norman were locked in battle against the Panther's fifth position. Georgia State took the first set 21-14 before Sanchez Delgado/Norman forced a third set with a 21-15 victory.

In the third set battle, the Golden Eagle duo looked to take the second point of the day, but came up short 13-15 in the final dual of the day.

Up Next
Southern Miss returns to action tomorrow at 9 a.m. for day two of the C-USA Beach Volleyball Championships.

Now in the elimination bracket of the tournament, Southern Miss faces (7) ULM. The Warhawks are fresh off a loss to (2) FIU in a 5-0 decision.

Southern Miss and ULM have already met in the 2022 slate, with Southern Miss taking a 3-2 victory in Hattiesburg, Miss. on April 8. The Warhawks enter 10-21 (0-2 C-USA) and are still looking for their first C-USA win.

"We're still in the bracket and still have a great opportunity to compete," said Taylor. "ULM has made some adjustments in their lineup. They'll be ready to play. We're using the afternoon to go over film and put together a game plan at each pairing. We'll be ready to go in the morning."

First service is set for 9 a.m. from John Hunt Park in Huntsville. Streaming links can be found on the Beach Volleyball schedule at SouthernMiss.com.

(3) Georgia State 4, (6) Southern Miss 1

1. Kelly Dorn/Elisa Saga (GSU) def. Breleigh Favre/Aleksandra Chudzik (USM) 21-16, 21-9
2. Eden Hawes/Maddy Delmonte (GSU) def. Vanessa Hurnikova/Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-10, 22-20
3. Taylor Pierce/Olivia Hepworth (USM) def. Kayla Whetstone/Yasmin Kuck (GSU) 13-21, 21-16, 15-12
4. Angel Ferary/Bella Ferary (GSU) def. Hallie Phelan/Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) 21-16, 21-5
5. Chloee Kleepsies/Becky Tresham (GSU) def. Carmen Sanchez Delgado/Kai Norman (USM) 21-14, 15-21, 15-13

Order of Finish 1, 4, 2, 3, 5

– Twitter: @SouthernMissBVB | SouthernMiss.com | Instagram: @southernmissbvb –

Beach Volleyball Falls to the Elimination Bracket After Day One Loss; Looks to Survive and Advance Against ULM Tomorrow

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Players Mentioned

Ola Chudzik

Breleigh Favre

Kellie Garraway

Olivia Hepworth

Vanessa Hurnikova

Kai Norman

Hallie Phelan

Taylor Pierce

Carmen Sanchez Delgado

Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou