Southern Miss Sweeps First Day of Beale Street Challenge

MEMPHIS, Tenn.-Southern Miss (5-5, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) enjoyed a successful start to the Beale Street Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Friday, knocking off Little Rock and Memphis in straight sets.

With sweeps against the Trojans and Tigers, Southern Miss won its fourth straight match by 3-0 for the first time since the 2007 season.

The Golden Eagles gelled together on the floor, combining for a .253 clip on the day and averaging 13 kills per set.

"Our team has done a really good job of focusing on the right things during matches," Head Coach Jenny Hazelwood said. "We have worked so hard this week on tightening up fundamentals and it really showed today."

Southern Miss vs. Little Rock (W 3-0)

Southern Miss rolled past Little Rock in straight sets to start the Beale Street Challenge Friday morning, propelled by the most service aces the program has recorded in nearly two decades.

The Golden Eagles scored 16 aces, which is the most the team has recorded in a match since Southern Miss registered 20 aces against Alcorn State on Oct. 5, 2004.

Aysu Dalogullari and Mia Wesley combined for 11 of those aces, including a career-high six for Dalogullari. Freshmen Sadie McAda and Hayden Riddle also recorded two apiece, followed by one from Cara Atkinson.

Atkinson led the Golden Eagles with a season-high 11 kills on a .389 hitting percentage. Wesley nearly recorded a double-double with ten kills and nine digs.

Southern Miss jumped out to an early lead in the first set, extending its lead as Riddle and McAda recorded consecutive aces. Little Rock climbed back from a six-point deficit, but Reagan Leinen closed the set at 25-21 with a kill.

The Golden Eagles held an advantage in the second set after leaping ahead on an 8-0 run, but the Trojans scored six straight points on Southern Miss' game point to stay alive. After regathering during a timeout, Atkinson and Leinen blocked a Trojan attack to take the set 25-23.

Southern Miss kept full momentum in the final set, jumping to a ten-point lead that it held on to the end of the match as Wesley capped the game with her tenth kill.

The Golden Eagles snapped Little Rock's three-game winning streak and improved to four straight wins against the Trojans, dating back to 2003.

Southern Miss vs. Memphis (W 3-0)

Southern Miss took advantage of every rally against Memphis, sweeping the Tigers for the first win against the program since 2011.

The Golden Eagles hit at .312, which was the second-best mark of the season, while limiting Memphis to a .127 clip. Southern Miss was also active up front, combining for eight total blocks.

Cailin Demps and Atkinson did it on both sides of the ball for Southern Miss; the pair recorded eight kills apiece and Demps tied a season-high of five blocks alongside Atkinson's four. Wesley also tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs.

Wesley gave Southern Miss a lead with two straight aces in the first set, leading the way to an early 4-0 run. Demps and Ari Barksdale kept the momentum going, combining for two blocks. The Golden Eagles maintained the lead as Barksdale won the set 25-18 with back-to-back kills.

The Tigers dueled with Southern Miss at the beginning of the next set, but Dalogullari and Wesley conducted a run to put the team up by five. Atkinson later extended the lead with straight kills, and the Golden Eagles took the set 25-18 after two Memphis service errors.

Southern Miss capped the night off by jumping to a 14-4 lead in the final set that Memphis did not overcome, as they ultimately fell 25-17.

Up Next

Southern Miss will be challenged by undefeated Arizona State to finish the Beale Street Challenge. The Sun Devils have won all 11 games this season and swept five straight opponents. The team has only lost 3 of its 36 sets this season.

"Arizona State is one of the few undefeated teams left in the country. They play hard and run a very fast offense," Hazelwood said. "We just need to stay focused on the right things for us and execute. This group has been great when facing challenges and expect to do that again tomorrow."

Southern Miss will play Arizona State at the Larry O. Finch Center at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Southern Miss Sweeps First Day of Beale Street Challenge

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Team Stats

Cara Atkinson

Mia Wesley

Cailin Demps

Ari Barksdale

Players Mentioned

Cara Atkinson

Ari Barksdale

Aysu Dalogullari

Cailin Demps

Reagan Leinen

Sadie McAda

Hayden Riddle

Mia Wesley