University of Southern Mississippi Athletics

Beach Volleyball Falls in Opening Day of Sun Belt Tournament
4/27/2023 5:31:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Golden Eagle beach volleyball falls in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championships to third-seeded Coastal Carolina. Inclement weather led to an expedited day and a 4-1 Chanticleer victory.
Playing their first competition against a Sun Belt Conference foe as a member of the Sun Belt, the Golden Eagles faced off against Coastal Carolina for the first time since 2021.
Southern Miss (15-23), the sixth-seeded team of the tournament, fell 4-1 to the three-seed Chanticleers (24-11, 6-3 Sun Belt). Hallie Phelan (Madison, Miss.) and Taylor Pierce (Covington, La.) picked up a three-set win at the second position for Southern Miss' only point of the day.
In total, three duals needed three sets to decide the victors, including Phelan and Pierce's second position battle.
Ola Chudzik (Olsztyn, Poland) and Vanessa Hurnikova (Ostrava, Czech Republic) fell in three sets at the first position as did Reagan Sandlin (Keller, Texas) and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (Limassol, Cyprus) at the third flight.
Overall, Southern Miss needed 11 third-set points were the difference on the day between the Chanticleers and Golden Eagles advancing.
Up Next
Having dropped the opening match in the Contenders' Bracket, Southern Miss falls to the elimination bracket of the tournament. The Black & Gold's journey to the championship match now runs through four elimination games with the first against seventh-seeded Mercer.
The match between Southern Miss and the Bears (11-25) begins tomorrow, April 28, at 10:30 a.m. CT.
A win against Mercer advances Southern Miss to a 1:30 p.m. match against ULM. The Warhawks entered the tournament as the fifth-overall seed and are 1-1 in the tourney after defeating UNC-Wilmington 3-1 and falling to No. 14 and top-seeded Georgia State, 3-0.
Follow Along
Links to stream each match can be found at SouthernMiss.com or on the ESPN app.
Match 4 – (3) Coastal Carolina 3, (6) Southern Miss 1
1. Sarah Riedell / Martine Kragholm (CCU) def. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM) 21-15, 22-24, 15-10
2. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM) def. Sarlota Svobodova / Madie Lichty (CCU) 21-17, 14-21, 15-11
3. Madison Allred / Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) 21-15, 22-24, 15-9
4. Emma Gonzalez / Elena Sanchez (CCU) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM) 21-14, 21-14
5. Ellie Hanford / Emma Kunaus (CCU) vs. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-18, 21-18
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 1
Playing their first competition against a Sun Belt Conference foe as a member of the Sun Belt, the Golden Eagles faced off against Coastal Carolina for the first time since 2021.
Southern Miss (15-23), the sixth-seeded team of the tournament, fell 4-1 to the three-seed Chanticleers (24-11, 6-3 Sun Belt). Hallie Phelan (Madison, Miss.) and Taylor Pierce (Covington, La.) picked up a three-set win at the second position for Southern Miss' only point of the day.
In total, three duals needed three sets to decide the victors, including Phelan and Pierce's second position battle.
Ola Chudzik (Olsztyn, Poland) and Vanessa Hurnikova (Ostrava, Czech Republic) fell in three sets at the first position as did Reagan Sandlin (Keller, Texas) and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (Limassol, Cyprus) at the third flight.
Overall, Southern Miss needed 11 third-set points were the difference on the day between the Chanticleers and Golden Eagles advancing.
Up Next
Having dropped the opening match in the Contenders' Bracket, Southern Miss falls to the elimination bracket of the tournament. The Black & Gold's journey to the championship match now runs through four elimination games with the first against seventh-seeded Mercer.
The match between Southern Miss and the Bears (11-25) begins tomorrow, April 28, at 10:30 a.m. CT.
A win against Mercer advances Southern Miss to a 1:30 p.m. match against ULM. The Warhawks entered the tournament as the fifth-overall seed and are 1-1 in the tourney after defeating UNC-Wilmington 3-1 and falling to No. 14 and top-seeded Georgia State, 3-0.
Follow Along
Links to stream each match can be found at SouthernMiss.com or on the ESPN app.
Match 4 – (3) Coastal Carolina 3, (6) Southern Miss 1
1. Sarah Riedell / Martine Kragholm (CCU) def. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM) 21-15, 22-24, 15-10
2. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM) def. Sarlota Svobodova / Madie Lichty (CCU) 21-17, 14-21, 15-11
3. Madison Allred / Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) 21-15, 22-24, 15-9
4. Emma Gonzalez / Elena Sanchez (CCU) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM) 21-14, 21-14
5. Ellie Hanford / Emma Kunaus (CCU) vs. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) 21-18, 21-18
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 1
Players Mentioned
Chris Jones Media Availability - Oct. 28, 2025
Tuesday, October 28
Charles Huff Weekly Press Conference - October 28th 2025
Tuesday, October 28
Charles Huff Postgame Press Conference - The ULM Game
Sunday, October 26
Charles Huff Weekly Press Conference - The ULM Game
Tuesday, October 21
















