University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, September 2
Nacogdoches, Texas / Shelton Gym
1:30 p.m.
Southern Miss
1-5,0-0Sun Belt
2
at
3
Stephen F. Austin
5-1,0-0WAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Southern Miss.
19
25
21
25
13
2
SFA
25
22
25
22
15
3
Southern Miss Falls Short in Fifth Set Against Stephen F. Austin
9/2/2023 6:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Nacogdoches, Texas-Southern Miss verged on what would have been its first win in program history against Stephen F. Austin, but the Ladyjacks decided Saturday's game with a late push in the fifth set.
The 15-13 fifth set mirrored the exact score of Stephen F. Austin's win in Hattiesburg last season on Sept. 9, 2022. The Golden Eagles looked to flip the script this time around but fell again by two points.
"Southern Miss Volleyball is on the right path," Head Coach Jenny Hazelwood said. "We know what we want to be about and what we want to look like. As we've proven, this group can battle with anyone. Bringing all of the pieces together is necessary for us to have the success we expect of ourselves. We did make some good strides in figuring out what pieces fir where this weekend and are ready to get back in the gym to build on those things."
The Golden Eagles fought throughout the match, with their two victories coming from six and seven-point comebacks in the second and fourth sets.
Southern Miss reversed a -.027 clip from its first set loss to a .333 hitting percentage in the second which gave the team a swing in momentum. Mia Wesley closed the set out with two straight service aces to put the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard.
After a win in the third set, the Ladyjacks looked to finish the game with a 21-14 lead. However, Southern Miss scored the last 13 of 15 points in the period to force a fifth set. Aysu Dalogullari recorded three consecutive kills during the run, combined with a pair of blocks and a kill from Cara Atkinson.
Atkinson, Dalogullari and Wesley each finished with double-digit kills, marking the first time this season that a trio has reached those figures for Southern Miss.
The Golden Eagles took charge in the fifth set on a 5-0 run and a service ace from Wesley gave the team an 11-8 lead, but the Ladyjacks retook it and closed the game out with two straight kills from Ielan Bradley.
Wesley led both teams with 18 kills and also tallied a season-high 19 digs. Dalogullari also followed with a double-double of 10 kills and 15 digs.
Wesley and Dalogullari both landed on the All-Tournament Team for the SFA Tournament.
Freshmen setters Hayden Riddle and Franky Panunzio each finished with more than 20 assists for the first time this season, combining for a total of 46 assists.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to Hattiesburg for their first home games of the season in the Golden Eagle Classic on Sept. 8-9. Southern Miss will face Nicholls again on Friday at 7 p.m. and then host a match against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
The 15-13 fifth set mirrored the exact score of Stephen F. Austin's win in Hattiesburg last season on Sept. 9, 2022. The Golden Eagles looked to flip the script this time around but fell again by two points.
"Southern Miss Volleyball is on the right path," Head Coach Jenny Hazelwood said. "We know what we want to be about and what we want to look like. As we've proven, this group can battle with anyone. Bringing all of the pieces together is necessary for us to have the success we expect of ourselves. We did make some good strides in figuring out what pieces fir where this weekend and are ready to get back in the gym to build on those things."
The Golden Eagles fought throughout the match, with their two victories coming from six and seven-point comebacks in the second and fourth sets.
Southern Miss reversed a -.027 clip from its first set loss to a .333 hitting percentage in the second which gave the team a swing in momentum. Mia Wesley closed the set out with two straight service aces to put the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard.
After a win in the third set, the Ladyjacks looked to finish the game with a 21-14 lead. However, Southern Miss scored the last 13 of 15 points in the period to force a fifth set. Aysu Dalogullari recorded three consecutive kills during the run, combined with a pair of blocks and a kill from Cara Atkinson.
Atkinson, Dalogullari and Wesley each finished with double-digit kills, marking the first time this season that a trio has reached those figures for Southern Miss.
The Golden Eagles took charge in the fifth set on a 5-0 run and a service ace from Wesley gave the team an 11-8 lead, but the Ladyjacks retook it and closed the game out with two straight kills from Ielan Bradley.
Wesley led both teams with 18 kills and also tallied a season-high 19 digs. Dalogullari also followed with a double-double of 10 kills and 15 digs.
Wesley and Dalogullari both landed on the All-Tournament Team for the SFA Tournament.
Freshmen setters Hayden Riddle and Franky Panunzio each finished with more than 20 assists for the first time this season, combining for a total of 46 assists.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to Hattiesburg for their first home games of the season in the Golden Eagle Classic on Sept. 8-9. Southern Miss will face Nicholls again on Friday at 7 p.m. and then host a match against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Team Stats
USM
SFA
Kills
59
63
Errors
25
23
Attempts
190
186
Hitting %
.179
.215
Points
79.0
85.0
Assists
54
58
Aces
8
9
Blocks
12
13
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballEpisode 5: Forged In Fire
Wednesday, November 29
Episode 4:Forged In Fire
Friday, November 03
Volleyball HC Jenny Hazelwood and Junior Mia Wesley- Arkansas State Postgame
Saturday, October 21
Episode 3: Forged In Fire
Thursday, October 19