Friday, September 9
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
Stephen F. Austin
Volleyball Set to Host Southern Miss Invitational Friday and Saturday
9/8/2022 3:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- After spending its first two weekends of the regular season on the road, Southern Miss volleyball returns to Hattiesburg as it prepares to host the Southern Miss Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The four-team even will take place inside the Southern Miss Wellness Center with the first Southern Miss match slated for 7 p.m. on Friday night against Stephen F. Austin.Â
Follow Along
- Southern Miss games will air on ESPN+, with Greg Mill and Lauren Lanford on Friday's call. Jason Baker will takeover the Saturday slate of matches.
- Follow @SouthernMissVB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.Â
Scouting Southern Miss
First-year head coach Jenny Hazelwood has her squad out a 5-1 start after winning all three matches at the Mercer Bears Classic last weekend. In Friday's lone match, Southern Miss rallied from an early deficit to claw out a 3-1 win against Mercer. The Golden Eagles came from behind again in Saturday's first match to defeat Charleston Southern, 3-2. The nightcap went a bit quicker with the Golden Eagles cruising to a 3-0 win against Queens (N.C.).Â
Mia Wesley was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after earning Most Valuable Player honors in Macon. The Orem, Utah native notched 65 kills and averaged 5.27 kills per set -- her kills per set average leads all Sun Belt players and ranks fourth nationally. Redshirt junior Kenzie Smith had a productive weekend as well, rattling off a 52-assisst performance against Charleston Southern and then added five kills on eight attempts against Queens. Middle blocker Cara Atkinson recorded at least eight kills in all three matches and was a force at the net with eight blocks. Newcomer Megan Harris went for a season-high 22 digs in the Saturday win against Charleston Southern.Â
Scouting the Field
Perennial Western Athletic Conference power Stephen F. Austin comes to Hattiesburg with a NCAA-best 7-0 record with notable wins over DePaul and UC Irvine. The Jacks are led by Lelan Bradley, a 6-foot middle blocker averaging 3.31 kills per set. She's flanked by Ariana Pagan and Leah Powell, who each average nearly 2.80 kills per set. Haley Hoang leads the WAC in digs per set (6.00) and ranks fourth nationally.Â
Houston Baptist sports a 4-2 mark after falling to ULM in four sets last Saturday. Audrey Pearce leads the Huskies in aces per set (0.52) and ranks second in the Southland in that category. Setter Grace McLaughlin's 10.38 assists per set rank second in the Southland. Houston Baptist is a year removed from going 21-9 en route to capturing an invite to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship. Mississippi Valley State is winless in three matches and has failed to win a set yet this season.Â
Friday
12 PM - Stephen F. Austin vs. Mississippi Valley State
3 PM - Mississippi Valley State vs. Houston Baptist
7 PM - Southern Miss vs. Stephen F. Austin
Saturday
12 PM - Houston Baptist vs. Stephen F. Austin
3 PM - Southern Miss vs. Mississippi Valley State
7 PM - Southern Miss vs. Houston BaptistÂ
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Follow Along
- Southern Miss games will air on ESPN+, with Greg Mill and Lauren Lanford on Friday's call. Jason Baker will takeover the Saturday slate of matches.
- Follow @SouthernMissVB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.Â
Scouting Southern Miss
First-year head coach Jenny Hazelwood has her squad out a 5-1 start after winning all three matches at the Mercer Bears Classic last weekend. In Friday's lone match, Southern Miss rallied from an early deficit to claw out a 3-1 win against Mercer. The Golden Eagles came from behind again in Saturday's first match to defeat Charleston Southern, 3-2. The nightcap went a bit quicker with the Golden Eagles cruising to a 3-0 win against Queens (N.C.).Â
Mia Wesley was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after earning Most Valuable Player honors in Macon. The Orem, Utah native notched 65 kills and averaged 5.27 kills per set -- her kills per set average leads all Sun Belt players and ranks fourth nationally. Redshirt junior Kenzie Smith had a productive weekend as well, rattling off a 52-assisst performance against Charleston Southern and then added five kills on eight attempts against Queens. Middle blocker Cara Atkinson recorded at least eight kills in all three matches and was a force at the net with eight blocks. Newcomer Megan Harris went for a season-high 22 digs in the Saturday win against Charleston Southern.Â
Scouting the Field
Perennial Western Athletic Conference power Stephen F. Austin comes to Hattiesburg with a NCAA-best 7-0 record with notable wins over DePaul and UC Irvine. The Jacks are led by Lelan Bradley, a 6-foot middle blocker averaging 3.31 kills per set. She's flanked by Ariana Pagan and Leah Powell, who each average nearly 2.80 kills per set. Haley Hoang leads the WAC in digs per set (6.00) and ranks fourth nationally.Â
Houston Baptist sports a 4-2 mark after falling to ULM in four sets last Saturday. Audrey Pearce leads the Huskies in aces per set (0.52) and ranks second in the Southland in that category. Setter Grace McLaughlin's 10.38 assists per set rank second in the Southland. Houston Baptist is a year removed from going 21-9 en route to capturing an invite to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship. Mississippi Valley State is winless in three matches and has failed to win a set yet this season.Â
Friday
12 PM - Stephen F. Austin vs. Mississippi Valley State
3 PM - Mississippi Valley State vs. Houston Baptist
7 PM - Southern Miss vs. Stephen F. Austin
Saturday
12 PM - Houston Baptist vs. Stephen F. Austin
3 PM - Southern Miss vs. Mississippi Valley State
7 PM - Southern Miss vs. Houston BaptistÂ
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Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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