University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, April 28
Huntsville, Ala. / John Hunt Sand Volleyball Complex
10:30 a.m.
Southern Miss
3
vs
2
(7) Mercer
Beach Volleyball Storms Back Into Title Contention After Undefeated Day in Huntsville
4/28/2023 9:37:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Southern Miss beach volleyball enjoys a showstopping day at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament after winning three-straight elimination games to advance to the conference semifinals. The Golden Eagles face a rematch against three-seed Coastal Carolina at 10 a.m. for a chance to play No. 14 and top-seeded Georgia State for the Sun Belt Championship.
"Wow, what a full and fortuitous day," said fourth-year head man, Shawn Taylor. "At this point, I'm a little lost for words. I'm just proud of the team for refusing to quit. We said at the outset of the season we wanted to play Saturday and after our first-round loss, we want to see Coastal again. If we do it means we're playing great ball. Now that we're in the hunt, it's time to make the final push for this conference championship."
Game 1 – (6) Southern Miss 3, (7) Mercer 2
The Golden Eagles survived a scare from seventh-seeded Mercer via points from Ola Chudzik and Vanessa Hurnikova, Madison Cassidy and Kellie Garraway, and a show-stopping three-set marathon from Reagan Sandlin and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou to advance another round in Huntsville.
"We got off to a slow start and credit to Mercer for coming out ready to play," said Taylor. "They did a great job of putting the pressure on us early. It was huge for Kellie and Madison to get the first set win and eventually our first team point. Running five-wide with our coaching staff means we're spread a bit thin and those two were able to manage the game and close out the Mercer 5s.
Vanessa and Ola were down early in the first but stayed patient and clawed their way back in to eventually take the point. Reggie and Val's match was a thriller to say the least. I don't think there's a lot of coaches that are confident they'll pull out a win down 9-5 in the third set, but we kept putting our best out there, working hard for every point and covering like crazy. In the end, I'm super pumped that they could get a little spotlight and come out victorious."
Sandlin and Papakyriakou capped off a first-set loss with a 21-15 spot in the second and a thrilling 17-15 third set to seal the game for Southern Miss.
Box Score
1. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM) def. Lexi Polychrones / Jordan Paddock (Mercer), 21-18, 21-17
2. Nicole O'Mara / Kate Hardie (Mercer) def. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM), 21-18, 21-19
3. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) def. Sydney Benson / Jordan Morris (Mercer), 18-21, 21-15, 17-15
4. Alyssa Scoggins / Kathryn Corbett (Mercer) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM), 21-15, 21-12
5. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Hollis Engel / Reese Hood (Mercer), 21-17, 21-19
Game Two – (6) Southern Miss 3, (5) ULM 2
The Cardiac Eagles once again went down to the wire, this time with fifth-seeded ULM. Old conference foes, the Warhawks took an early 2-0 dual lead after wins at the third and fourth positions, but Southern Miss did not go down easily.
Top flight pair Chudzik and Hurnikova collected their 20th win of the season and second of the day to push the score to 2-1 in ULM's favor before Southern Miss pulled off two improbable third sets.
Cassidy and Garraway came back after being down in the third to tie things at 2-2, just seconds before Hallie Phelan and Taylor Pierce notched their first win of the day to advance the Golden Eagles on to the quarterfinals.
"It was another exciting come-from-behind win against ULM," said Taylor. "We were down 2-0 as a team and it looked like Vanessa and Ola were going to pull through, but that still left us needing two wins as we were heading to the third set on courts two and five.
Madison and Kellie struggled a little bit in the second set with crosswind but they worked hard and made adjustments. When we fell behind in the third, I knew if we kept the serving pressure up we could climb back. Madison and Kellie didn't let up.
Once they sealed it at the 5s, we ran down to court two to see Hallie and Taylor notch the third set's final point. It was good to see them rebound after the morning match and get a win."
Box Score
1. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM) def. Julia Blazek / Rylin Adams (ULM), 21-19, 21-15
2. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM) def. Kaitlyn Nowak / Madeline Marquez (ULM), 21-15, 19-21, 15-11
3. Brooke Hoven / Tamsie Black (ULM) def. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM), 21-19, 21-12
4. Avery Reynolds / Claire Williamson (ULM) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM), 21-13, 21-16
5. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Kaylie Beck / Kaitlyn Beck (ULM), 21-19, 17-21, 15-12
Match Three – (6) Southern Miss 3, (2) Charleston 2
With momentum on their side, Southern Miss arrived to their final match of the day with a 2-1 record in the tournament and two-seed Charleston standing between them and a rematch with Coastal Carolina.
The Black & Gold were tied with the Cougars after the first two decisions with Cassidy and Garraway collecting their third win of the day and Chudzik / Hurnikova falling. CoC took a 2-1 advantage after a victory at the 4s but the Golden Eagles once again found themselves in two three-set thrillers.
Sandlin and Papakyriakou came out on top first with a 15-13 third set to make it 2-2 before Phelan and Pierce slammed the door on the Cougars at the second position to take Southern Miss' third win of the day.
The Golden Eagles advance to the semifinals, just two wins away from being crowned champions of the Sun Belt Conference.
Box Score
1. Kyra Thompson / Gabi Bailey (Charleston) def. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM), 21-19, 21-17
2. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM) def. Emma Falk / Kora Hansen (Charleston), 21-14, 21-23, 15-12
3. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) def. Maria Zweig / Mickey Dougherty (Charleston), 21-11, 10-21, 15-13
4. Tynley Smeltzer / Sofie Vogel (Charleston) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM), 17-21, 21-17, 15-10
5. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Alli Grant Avery / Liz Curry (Charleston), 21-19, 21-14
Up Next
Southern Miss looks to exact its revenge over Coastal Carolina tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to lock up a spot in the Sun Belt Championship game against top-seeded and 14th-ranked Georgia State.
Follow Along
Both matches will be streamed tomorrow via ESPN+ with links available at SouthernMiss.com.
"Wow, what a full and fortuitous day," said fourth-year head man, Shawn Taylor. "At this point, I'm a little lost for words. I'm just proud of the team for refusing to quit. We said at the outset of the season we wanted to play Saturday and after our first-round loss, we want to see Coastal again. If we do it means we're playing great ball. Now that we're in the hunt, it's time to make the final push for this conference championship."
Game 1 – (6) Southern Miss 3, (7) Mercer 2
The Golden Eagles survived a scare from seventh-seeded Mercer via points from Ola Chudzik and Vanessa Hurnikova, Madison Cassidy and Kellie Garraway, and a show-stopping three-set marathon from Reagan Sandlin and Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou to advance another round in Huntsville.
"We got off to a slow start and credit to Mercer for coming out ready to play," said Taylor. "They did a great job of putting the pressure on us early. It was huge for Kellie and Madison to get the first set win and eventually our first team point. Running five-wide with our coaching staff means we're spread a bit thin and those two were able to manage the game and close out the Mercer 5s.
Vanessa and Ola were down early in the first but stayed patient and clawed their way back in to eventually take the point. Reggie and Val's match was a thriller to say the least. I don't think there's a lot of coaches that are confident they'll pull out a win down 9-5 in the third set, but we kept putting our best out there, working hard for every point and covering like crazy. In the end, I'm super pumped that they could get a little spotlight and come out victorious."
Sandlin and Papakyriakou capped off a first-set loss with a 21-15 spot in the second and a thrilling 17-15 third set to seal the game for Southern Miss.
Box Score
1. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM) def. Lexi Polychrones / Jordan Paddock (Mercer), 21-18, 21-17
2. Nicole O'Mara / Kate Hardie (Mercer) def. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM), 21-18, 21-19
3. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) def. Sydney Benson / Jordan Morris (Mercer), 18-21, 21-15, 17-15
4. Alyssa Scoggins / Kathryn Corbett (Mercer) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM), 21-15, 21-12
5. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Hollis Engel / Reese Hood (Mercer), 21-17, 21-19
Game Two – (6) Southern Miss 3, (5) ULM 2
The Cardiac Eagles once again went down to the wire, this time with fifth-seeded ULM. Old conference foes, the Warhawks took an early 2-0 dual lead after wins at the third and fourth positions, but Southern Miss did not go down easily.
Top flight pair Chudzik and Hurnikova collected their 20th win of the season and second of the day to push the score to 2-1 in ULM's favor before Southern Miss pulled off two improbable third sets.
Cassidy and Garraway came back after being down in the third to tie things at 2-2, just seconds before Hallie Phelan and Taylor Pierce notched their first win of the day to advance the Golden Eagles on to the quarterfinals.
"It was another exciting come-from-behind win against ULM," said Taylor. "We were down 2-0 as a team and it looked like Vanessa and Ola were going to pull through, but that still left us needing two wins as we were heading to the third set on courts two and five.
Madison and Kellie struggled a little bit in the second set with crosswind but they worked hard and made adjustments. When we fell behind in the third, I knew if we kept the serving pressure up we could climb back. Madison and Kellie didn't let up.
Once they sealed it at the 5s, we ran down to court two to see Hallie and Taylor notch the third set's final point. It was good to see them rebound after the morning match and get a win."
Box Score
1. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM) def. Julia Blazek / Rylin Adams (ULM), 21-19, 21-15
2. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM) def. Kaitlyn Nowak / Madeline Marquez (ULM), 21-15, 19-21, 15-11
3. Brooke Hoven / Tamsie Black (ULM) def. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM), 21-19, 21-12
4. Avery Reynolds / Claire Williamson (ULM) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM), 21-13, 21-16
5. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Kaylie Beck / Kaitlyn Beck (ULM), 21-19, 17-21, 15-12
Match Three – (6) Southern Miss 3, (2) Charleston 2
With momentum on their side, Southern Miss arrived to their final match of the day with a 2-1 record in the tournament and two-seed Charleston standing between them and a rematch with Coastal Carolina.
The Black & Gold were tied with the Cougars after the first two decisions with Cassidy and Garraway collecting their third win of the day and Chudzik / Hurnikova falling. CoC took a 2-1 advantage after a victory at the 4s but the Golden Eagles once again found themselves in two three-set thrillers.
Sandlin and Papakyriakou came out on top first with a 15-13 third set to make it 2-2 before Phelan and Pierce slammed the door on the Cougars at the second position to take Southern Miss' third win of the day.
The Golden Eagles advance to the semifinals, just two wins away from being crowned champions of the Sun Belt Conference.
Box Score
1. Kyra Thompson / Gabi Bailey (Charleston) def. Vanessa Hurnikova / Ola Chudzik (USM), 21-19, 21-17
2. Hallie Phelan / Taylor Pierce (USM) def. Emma Falk / Kora Hansen (Charleston), 21-14, 21-23, 15-12
3. Reagan Sandlin / Valeria Siakidou Papakyriakou (USM) def. Maria Zweig / Mickey Dougherty (Charleston), 21-11, 10-21, 15-13
4. Tynley Smeltzer / Sofie Vogel (Charleston) def. Ashlyn Rough / Morgan Perry (USM), 17-21, 21-17, 15-10
5. Madison Cassidy / Kellie Garraway (USM) def. Alli Grant Avery / Liz Curry (Charleston), 21-19, 21-14
Up Next
Southern Miss looks to exact its revenge over Coastal Carolina tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to lock up a spot in the Sun Belt Championship game against top-seeded and 14th-ranked Georgia State.
Follow Along
Both matches will be streamed tomorrow via ESPN+ with links available at SouthernMiss.com.
Players Mentioned
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