Friday, September 30
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
10-5,2-1Sun Belt
3
vs
2
Troy
7-8,1-2Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
5
F
Troy
23
25
20
25
14
2
Southern Miss.
25
21
25
22
16
3
Volleyball Wins Epic Five-Setter Against Troy
9/30/2022 8:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A 5-0 run to end the fifth set helped propel Southern Miss past Troy on Friday night at the Southern Miss Wellness Center. The Golden Eagles (10-5, 2-1 Sun Belt) needed an epic fifth set (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 22-25, 16-14) to outlast the Trojans (7-8, 1-2 Sun Belt) in front of a sizable crowd.
"Credit to Troy, they came in here and put up a fight to the end," said Southern Miss head coach Jenny Hazelwood. "I'm proud of the fight we showed facing match point in the fifth and it truly shows a lot about the determination our girls have.
"I was proud of Ari [Barksdale] stepping up and giving us an offensive go-to when Mia was struggling hitting tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a fun one."
Southern Miss' third set featured 18 kills to go along with a match-high .538 hitting percentage. That hitting percentage came after it hit .200 and .158 in the first two sets, respectively.
The first set featured six lead changes and 14 ties before a service ace from Aliah Giroux sealed the 25-23 opening-frame win. Giroux's service ace was one of eight from the Golden Eagles on the night. Sophomore Ari Barksdale had four kills in the first set to pace the Golden Eagle attack and finished the match with a career-high eight kills. Gillian Hidalgo added another three kills in the opening set.
Although the two Sun Belt rivals traded lead changes five times in the second set, Southern Miss struggled offensively. The Golden Eagles had only 10 kills in the set, including two from Cara Atkinson, Madison Bowles, Kenzie Smith, and Barksdale. Barksdale, a Chula Vista, Calif. native, went for three blocks in the second set. Behind eight kills from Tori Hester, Troy took the second set, 25-21.
Atkinson came alive in the third set as the sophomore middle blocker smacked six kills on six attempts. Her 1.000 hitting percentage was part of Southern Miss' .538 team clip in the set. Mia Wesley and Hidalgo each recorded four kills in the set to help Southern Miss win it, 25-20. Wesley, the Sun Belt leader in nearly every offensive category, was kept relatively quiet.
Troy took control early in the fourth set and never relinquished it, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 win. The Golden Eagles hit .258 in the fourth frame.
The Golden Eagles took an early lead in the fifth set before Troy stormed back after being down by as many as three points at the side change. The Trojans then used a 6-0 run to take a 14-11 lead and force match point on Southern Miss. A Smith kill helped spark a run for the ages as the Golden Eagles then followed that with a massive block from Atkinson and Smith. Back-to-back kills from Wesley and a service ace from Giroux sealed the win for Southern Miss.
Sophomore libero Megan Harris finished with a team-high 14 digs, while Wesley added eight. Atkinson finished with six blocks, one of which was a solo block. She finished with 14 kills, one off her career best. Hidalgo finished with nine kills, and Cailin Demps finished with seven. Smith's final numbers registered at 44 assists, six digs and four kills.
Southern Miss and Troy will meet on Saturday afternoon in a 3 p.m. matinee at the Southern Miss Wellness Center. Admission is free and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
"Credit to Troy, they came in here and put up a fight to the end," said Southern Miss head coach Jenny Hazelwood. "I'm proud of the fight we showed facing match point in the fifth and it truly shows a lot about the determination our girls have.
"I was proud of Ari [Barksdale] stepping up and giving us an offensive go-to when Mia was struggling hitting tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a fun one."
Southern Miss' third set featured 18 kills to go along with a match-high .538 hitting percentage. That hitting percentage came after it hit .200 and .158 in the first two sets, respectively.
The first set featured six lead changes and 14 ties before a service ace from Aliah Giroux sealed the 25-23 opening-frame win. Giroux's service ace was one of eight from the Golden Eagles on the night. Sophomore Ari Barksdale had four kills in the first set to pace the Golden Eagle attack and finished the match with a career-high eight kills. Gillian Hidalgo added another three kills in the opening set.
Although the two Sun Belt rivals traded lead changes five times in the second set, Southern Miss struggled offensively. The Golden Eagles had only 10 kills in the set, including two from Cara Atkinson, Madison Bowles, Kenzie Smith, and Barksdale. Barksdale, a Chula Vista, Calif. native, went for three blocks in the second set. Behind eight kills from Tori Hester, Troy took the second set, 25-21.
Atkinson came alive in the third set as the sophomore middle blocker smacked six kills on six attempts. Her 1.000 hitting percentage was part of Southern Miss' .538 team clip in the set. Mia Wesley and Hidalgo each recorded four kills in the set to help Southern Miss win it, 25-20. Wesley, the Sun Belt leader in nearly every offensive category, was kept relatively quiet.
Troy took control early in the fourth set and never relinquished it, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 win. The Golden Eagles hit .258 in the fourth frame.
The Golden Eagles took an early lead in the fifth set before Troy stormed back after being down by as many as three points at the side change. The Trojans then used a 6-0 run to take a 14-11 lead and force match point on Southern Miss. A Smith kill helped spark a run for the ages as the Golden Eagles then followed that with a massive block from Atkinson and Smith. Back-to-back kills from Wesley and a service ace from Giroux sealed the win for Southern Miss.
Sophomore libero Megan Harris finished with a team-high 14 digs, while Wesley added eight. Atkinson finished with six blocks, one of which was a solo block. She finished with 14 kills, one off her career best. Hidalgo finished with nine kills, and Cailin Demps finished with seven. Smith's final numbers registered at 44 assists, six digs and four kills.
Southern Miss and Troy will meet on Saturday afternoon in a 3 p.m. matinee at the Southern Miss Wellness Center. Admission is free and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Team Stats
TROY
USM
Kills
69
57
Errors
25
20
Attempts
154
143
Hitting %
.286
.259
Points
87
77
Assists
63
49
Aces
6
8
Blocks
12
12
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
13
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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