Volleyball Falls in Four Set Battle to Old Dominion

Friday, November 10

Southern Miss Wellness Center

6 p.m.

Southern Miss

11-15,6-9Sun Belt

Old Dominion

14-15,6-9Sun Belt

Old Dominion

Southern Miss.

Volleyball Falls in Four Set Battle to Old Dominion

11/10/2023 9:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss.-While Southern Miss (11-15, 6-9 Sun Belt) challenged each set in its home match Friday night, Old Dominion (14-15, 6-9 Sun Belt) inched past the Golden Eagles in a highly contested four-set battle (31-29, 29-31, 20-25, 24-26).

Southern Miss forced extra play in three periods and made a comeback run in each set. The two teams exchanged leads 24 times throughout the match, and the average point differential was a narrow margin of less than three points each set.

Errors plagued both teams, but Old Dominion held Southern Miss to just a .132 clip offensively and benefitted from 28 attack errors. The Monarchs hit at .207, and Myah Conway turned in a 21-kill performance to lead Old Dominion to its fourth victory on the road this season.

Junior Mia Wesley led the Golden Eagles with a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs, while also notching a season-high seven service aces. Southern Miss hit double-digit figures in aces for the third time this season, with 13 against the Monarchs.

Wesley also continued to climb program leaderboards, surpassing Kelly Tribble for the seventh most kills in program history.

The battle started as Southern Miss erased a seven-point deficit and took its first lead at 18-16. While the Golden Eagles found momentum, ODU tied the set at 23 again, forcing a back-to-back affair that was settled by a 3-0 run from Southern Miss.

Ari Barksdale and Franky Panunzio gave the team set point with a block, and Cailin Demps closed the opening set at 31-29, which was the same result Southern Miss registered in its first match against Louisiana last week.

However, the Golden Eagles could not replicate the results of that match as Old Dominion avoided a 2-0 hole by closing out extended play in the second set at 31-29. While Southern Miss trailed by five points in the period, Conway spoiled the comeback with a kill and a set-winning block with Bailey Burgess.

The Monarchs got off to another early start in the third set, but Southern Miss minimized its deficit and grabbed the lead on a kill by Demps and a service ace from junior Reagan Leinen. Leinen caught rhythm in the period, recording consecutive kills to tie the match at 14-14.

While the set trended towards another contested finish, Old Dominion found momentum and closed the set on a 5-1 run for a 25-20 victory.

Southern Miss eventually got a head start in the fourth set on an 8-0 run, its longest of the night, but the Monarchs responded with a six-point stretch of its own. Freshman Sadie McAda tied the match at 15 apiece with two straight aces, followed by a pair of kills by Wesley.

The Monarchs threatened with a 22-19 lead, but Southern Miss looked to force a fifth set, as Izzy Kronenberg capped a three-point run with a kill. Despite taking set point, Old Dominion ended the night with a final 3-0 run, winning the extended set 26-24.

Demps followed Wesley's total with ten kills and a team-high .259 clip. McAda also registered 14 digs, which followed libero Megan Harris' high of 17 digs. Freshman setter Franky Panunzio recorded a double-double with 41 assists and 11 digs, along with four total blocks.

Up Next

Southern Miss makes a quick turnaround with its final home match of the season tomorrow at 11 a.m. against Old Dominion. After the match, the program will recognize six players in its Senior Day celebration.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.