Thursday, September 21
Mobile, Ala. / Jaguar Gym
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
South Alabama
Volleyball Starts Conference Play Against South Alabama
9/20/2023 2:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-Southern Miss Volleyball will open Sun Belt Conference play with two matches on the road against rival South Alabama. The Golden Eagles meet the Jaguars at the Jaguar Gym in Mobile, Ala, on Thursday at 6 p.m., followed by another 6 p.m. contest on Friday.
Southern Miss finished its nonconference slate 5-6 after rounding out last weekend at the Beale Street Challenge with sweeps against Little Rock and Memphis, and a loss to Arizona State.Â
Southern Miss juniors Cara Atkinson and Megan Harris were named to the Beale Street Challenge All-Tournament Team for their performances.
Atkinson tallied 26 kills in nine sets, hitting at .353 through three games. She recorded a season-high 11 kills on 18 attempts against Little Rock and followed with eight kills, five digs and five total blocks against Memphis. Atkinson capped the weekend with seven kills versus Arizona State.
Harris led Southern Miss in its defensive efforts on the weekend, registering 39 digs through three matches. Her 4.33 digs per set ranked fifth in the Sun Belt last week.
Now, the Golden Eagles will be challenged by a 9-3 South Alabama squad that was picked in the preseason as favorites to win the Sun Belt West Division. The Jaguars are on a two-game winning streak after finishing the Alabama Invitational last weekend with victories against Samford and UAB.
Follow Along
- Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
- Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Southern Miss Quick Hits
- Southern Miss enters its second year in the Sun Belt after finishing 10-6 in conference competition in its inaugural season. The Golden Eagles fell in the second round of the SBC Tournament to Georgia Southern.
- Mia Wesley ranks first in the Sun Belt with 4.69 points per set. The junior has recorded 142 kills in ten games this season and needs only 63 more to surpass Sharon Montgomery for the tenth most kills in program history.
- Southern Miss' 16 service aces versus Little Rock last weekend were the most the program has recorded in a match since 20 against Alcorn State on Oct. 5, 2004.Â
- The Golden Eagles swept four straight opponents for the first time since 2007, before falling to Arizona State.
Scouting South Alabama
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- South Alabama is led by third-year Head Coach Jesse Ortiz. Ortiz has posted a 52-23 record with the Jaguars, leading the program to a Sun Belt title in his first season in 2021. Under Ortiz, the Jaguars have only lost two of 27 home games.
- The Jaguars have hit at .250 this season, ranking second in the Sun Belt, and the team's 13.27 kills per set rank third in the conference. Defensively, South Alabama ranks 27th in Divison One volleyball with 16.16 digs per set.
- South Alabama setter Kailey Keeble leads the Sun Belt with 10.77 assists per set and ranks tenth in career assists per set among NCAA Division One active players. Keeble was picked as the Sun Belt Preseason Setter of the Year after recording the fourth-most assists in a single season for the Jaguars with 1,188 assists in 2022.
- Fifth-year players Hannah Maddux and Nikki Capizzi were also named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team. Maddux ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with 3.66 kills per set and Capizzi's 58 total blocks are the second most in the conference.
Series History
South Alabama leads the series 28-21, dating back to 1980. Southern Miss snapped a five-game losing streak to the Jaguars last season with a 3-2 win in the Wellness Center last season on Sept. 24, 2022.Â
Players Mentioned
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