University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, September 17
Jacksonville, Ala.
1:30 p.m.
Southern Miss
8-4,0-0Sun Belt
3
vs
1
Jackson State
1-10,0-0SWAC
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Miss.
25
25
23
25
3
Jackson St.
15
22
25
20
1
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Volleyball Edges Jackson State in Four Sets
9/17/2022 3:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
JACKSONVILLE, Miss. -- Senior Kenzie Smith picked up her sixth double-double as the Southern Miss (8-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) volleyball team picked up a four-set (25-15, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20) win against Jackson State (1-10, 0-0 SWAC) in the final match of the JSU Invitational.
Sophomore Mia Wesley posted a game-high 16 kills and has now recorded double-digit kills in every match this season. The Sun Belt Conference leader in points per set and kills per set swung at a .203 clip and tallied eight digs in the non-conference matchup. Southern Miss jumped to a nine-point advantage in the first set before back-to-back attacking errors by Jackson State sealed the Golden Eagle win.
Jackson State found some success in the second set and held a five-point lead midway through. Southern Miss head coach Jenny Hazelwood used a timeout to slow the Tigers' momentum, but an Alexis Williams kill extended the lead again. A 6-1 run by the Golden Eagles to end the set pushed them to a 25-22 win in the second set. Wesley closed out the set with back-to-back service aces. Jackson State held off a furious comeback attempt from Southern Miss to force a fourth set.
Southern Miss exploded to a 10-4 lead in the final set and never looked back as a Cailin Demps kill secured the four-set win. Demps finished with 10 kills and Madi Bowles finished with a season-high 12 kills on 27 attempts. Nyanuer Bidit recorded six kills while making the start. Libero Megan Harris finished with a career-high 29 digs and Smith finished with 48 assists. Smith also added five blocks and 10 digs.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will host South Alabama next Friday and Saturday in their Sun Belt opener. First serve on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Southern Miss Wellness Center.
Sophomore Mia Wesley posted a game-high 16 kills and has now recorded double-digit kills in every match this season. The Sun Belt Conference leader in points per set and kills per set swung at a .203 clip and tallied eight digs in the non-conference matchup. Southern Miss jumped to a nine-point advantage in the first set before back-to-back attacking errors by Jackson State sealed the Golden Eagle win.
Jackson State found some success in the second set and held a five-point lead midway through. Southern Miss head coach Jenny Hazelwood used a timeout to slow the Tigers' momentum, but an Alexis Williams kill extended the lead again. A 6-1 run by the Golden Eagles to end the set pushed them to a 25-22 win in the second set. Wesley closed out the set with back-to-back service aces. Jackson State held off a furious comeback attempt from Southern Miss to force a fourth set.
Southern Miss exploded to a 10-4 lead in the final set and never looked back as a Cailin Demps kill secured the four-set win. Demps finished with 10 kills and Madi Bowles finished with a season-high 12 kills on 27 attempts. Nyanuer Bidit recorded six kills while making the start. Libero Megan Harris finished with a career-high 29 digs and Smith finished with 48 assists. Smith also added five blocks and 10 digs.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will host South Alabama next Friday and Saturday in their Sun Belt opener. First serve on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Southern Miss Wellness Center.
Team Stats
USM
JSU
Kills
59
50
Errors
16
23
Attempts
151
156
Hitting %
.285
.173
Points
75
60
Assists
57
47
Aces
8
4
Blocks
8
6
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
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