University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Volleyball Sweeps Georgia State Saturday
10/28/2023 2:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ATLANTA, Ga.-Southern Miss (10-13, 5-7 Sun Belt) finished its road trip at Georgia State (5-18, 2-10 Sun Belt) with another sweep against the Panthers in GSU Sports Arena Saturday.
The Golden Eagles hit at .350 throughout the match, the team's highest mark in conference play this season.
"I am just really proud of the way we competed all weekend long. We have quite a few young players playing, so going on the road and in a new environment, and a new gym gives an opportunity to maybe fumble on the road, and we didn't do that," head coach Jenny Hazelwood said. "Our team came out and was ready to battle and even when Georgia State pushed and had times where they were doing a lot of really good things and made it hard for us, we didn't let it affect us that much. We stayed consistent and steady from a mental standpoint in the game, pretty locked in with everything we're trying to do. I am proud of our team for that and just to get two sweeps on the road is always a good thing."
Junior Mia Wesley continued her dominance on the attack with 13 kills on a .344 clip. The Orem, Utah native surpassed Bridget Files for the ninth most kills in program history with her eighth kill of the match. She also added seven digs and tied a season-high of five service aces.
Sophomore Cailin Demps followed Wesley with 11 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and junior Cara Atkinson added seven kills on a .429 clip.
Freshman Franky Panunzio earned another start at setter, dishing out a career-high 37 assists. Libero Megan Harris paced both teams with 19 digs in the match.
Southern Miss started the game on a hot start as Wesley led the team to 15 points with back-to-back aces, starting an 11-0 run in the frame. The Golden Eagles closed the set at 25-13.
The Panthers contested the second set by taking the lead on a 4-0 run at 10-9. Southern Miss fought back and forth with Georgia State until Atkinson opened the game up with consecutive kills.
Demps took control at the end of the period, scoring the last three points for a 25-21 victory.
The Golden Eagles continued to roll with a 12-4 opening to the third set. While the Panthers tried to chip away at the lead, they could not contain Southern Miss' attack, which closed the game with a .344 hitting percentage in a deciding set.
Panunzio gave the Golden Eagles a set point with a kill and then a final Georgia State error ended the game at 25-14.
Georgia State now drops to a seven-game losing streak. Nine of Southern Miss' wins this season have been sweeps.
Up Next
Southern Miss returns home for a series against Louisiana next weekend on Nov. 2-3 in a key battle in the Sun Belt West Division.
The Golden Eagles hit at .350 throughout the match, the team's highest mark in conference play this season.
"I am just really proud of the way we competed all weekend long. We have quite a few young players playing, so going on the road and in a new environment, and a new gym gives an opportunity to maybe fumble on the road, and we didn't do that," head coach Jenny Hazelwood said. "Our team came out and was ready to battle and even when Georgia State pushed and had times where they were doing a lot of really good things and made it hard for us, we didn't let it affect us that much. We stayed consistent and steady from a mental standpoint in the game, pretty locked in with everything we're trying to do. I am proud of our team for that and just to get two sweeps on the road is always a good thing."
Junior Mia Wesley continued her dominance on the attack with 13 kills on a .344 clip. The Orem, Utah native surpassed Bridget Files for the ninth most kills in program history with her eighth kill of the match. She also added seven digs and tied a season-high of five service aces.
Sophomore Cailin Demps followed Wesley with 11 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and junior Cara Atkinson added seven kills on a .429 clip.
Freshman Franky Panunzio earned another start at setter, dishing out a career-high 37 assists. Libero Megan Harris paced both teams with 19 digs in the match.
Southern Miss started the game on a hot start as Wesley led the team to 15 points with back-to-back aces, starting an 11-0 run in the frame. The Golden Eagles closed the set at 25-13.
The Panthers contested the second set by taking the lead on a 4-0 run at 10-9. Southern Miss fought back and forth with Georgia State until Atkinson opened the game up with consecutive kills.
Demps took control at the end of the period, scoring the last three points for a 25-21 victory.
The Golden Eagles continued to roll with a 12-4 opening to the third set. While the Panthers tried to chip away at the lead, they could not contain Southern Miss' attack, which closed the game with a .344 hitting percentage in a deciding set.
Panunzio gave the Golden Eagles a set point with a kill and then a final Georgia State error ended the game at 25-14.
Georgia State now drops to a seven-game losing streak. Nine of Southern Miss' wins this season have been sweeps.
Up Next
Southern Miss returns home for a series against Louisiana next weekend on Nov. 2-3 in a key battle in the Sun Belt West Division.
Players Mentioned
MB
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OH/RS
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DS/L
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