University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, September 29
Troy, Ala. / Trojan Arena
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
Troy
Volleyball Faces Road Test Against Troy
9/28/2023 9:29:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-Southern Miss Volleyball continues its four-game road stretch with two matches against Troy on Sept. 29-30 in the Trojan Arena. The Golden Eagles (5-8, 0-2 Sun Belt) will battle the Trojans (4-8, 2-0 Sun Belt) on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday.
Follow Along
The Golden Eagles dropped two matches in the opening weekend of Sun Belt play against South Alabama. The Jaguars won in three sets Thursday and while Southern Miss took the first set of Friday's match, South Alabama responded by taking the next three to claim its eleventh victory of the season. The Jaguars also improved to 27-2 at home during Head Coach Jesse Ortiz' tenure.
Junior libero Megan Harris recorded season-highs of 19 digs on Thursday, followed by another high of 23 digs on Friday. Harris' six digs per set ranked first in the Sun Belt last week.
Southern Miss struggled against a tough Jaguars defense, hitting at .137 on the weekend as the Jaguars defended with a conference-best 18.86 digs per set. Sophomore Cailin Demps provided a spark throughout the weekend, adding 19 kills on 40 attempts, including a season-high 13 kills on Friday.
Mia Wesley also recorded double-digit figures in kills for the 11th time this season out of 12 games. Wesley notched her fifth double-double of the season Thursday with 10 kills and 18 digs, and added 12 kills and six digs Friday.
Southern Miss Quick Hits
Scouting Troy
Series History
Southern Miss leads the series 7-6, dating back to 1982. The Golden Eagles won a five-set thriller against the Trojans at home last season before Troy closed its visit in Hattiesburg with a win in straight sets. Only two games in the series history have been played in Troy, Ala.; the Trojans won both of those matches.
Follow Along
- Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
- Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Golden Eagles dropped two matches in the opening weekend of Sun Belt play against South Alabama. The Jaguars won in three sets Thursday and while Southern Miss took the first set of Friday's match, South Alabama responded by taking the next three to claim its eleventh victory of the season. The Jaguars also improved to 27-2 at home during Head Coach Jesse Ortiz' tenure.
Junior libero Megan Harris recorded season-highs of 19 digs on Thursday, followed by another high of 23 digs on Friday. Harris' six digs per set ranked first in the Sun Belt last week.
Southern Miss struggled against a tough Jaguars defense, hitting at .137 on the weekend as the Jaguars defended with a conference-best 18.86 digs per set. Sophomore Cailin Demps provided a spark throughout the weekend, adding 19 kills on 40 attempts, including a season-high 13 kills on Friday.
Mia Wesley also recorded double-digit figures in kills for the 11th time this season out of 12 games. Wesley notched her fifth double-double of the season Thursday with 10 kills and 18 digs, and added 12 kills and six digs Friday.
Southern Miss Quick Hits
- Southern Miss has skidded to a three-game losing streak for the first time since the 2021 season.
- Southern Miss has recorded 15.78 digs per set this season, which ranks third in the Sun Belt and 41st in Division One volleyball.
- Wesley's 3.81 kills per set and .49 service aces per set rank third in the Sun Belt. The junior has recorded 164 kills in 12 games this season and needs only 53 more to surpass Sharon Montgomery for the tenth most kills in program history.
Scouting Troy
- Troy opened conference play last weekend with two sweeps on the road against Louisiana. The Trojans have won by 3-0 for three consecutive matches.
- The Trojans are led by Head Coach Josh Lauer, who is in his seventh season with the program. Lauer has posted a 77-80 record with the Trojans.
- Troy has allowed opponents to hit at a Sun Belt-high .273 percentage this season.
- Sophomore setter Janelle Stuempfig ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with ten assists per set. Stuempfig has recorded 410 assists in 41 sets played.
- Outside hitter Tori Hester has registered 149 kills in 41 sets, ranking eighth in the Sun Belt. Hester was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team after leading the Trojans with 522 kills in 2022, which ranked only behind Wesley in the conference and 15th in the country.
Series History
Southern Miss leads the series 7-6, dating back to 1982. The Golden Eagles won a five-set thriller against the Trojans at home last season before Troy closed its visit in Hattiesburg with a win in straight sets. Only two games in the series history have been played in Troy, Ala.; the Trojans won both of those matches.
Players Mentioned
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ 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