University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, September 8
Southern Miss Wellness Center
7 p.m.
Southern Miss
2-5,0-0Sun Belt
3
vs
0
Nicholls
2-6,0-0Southland
1
2
3
F
Nicholls
19
18
11
0
Southern Miss.
25
25
25
3
Southern Miss Sweeps Nicholls in Season's First Home Game
9/8/2023 10:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.- Southern Miss fired on all cylinders in its home opener versus Nicholls Friday night, knocking off the Colonels in straight sets.
The Golden Eagles hit a season-high .294 clip as a team, highlighted by a career-best outing from junior Reagan Leinen.
Leinen shone throughout the match, tallying five kills in the first set, which Southern Miss took 25-19. Her early start paved the way for a career-high 14 kills on an efficient .700 hitting percentage, which was the best by a Golden Eagle this season.
"I felt like we started the game off a little slow, but we started playing together as a team and really kicked it off, and we had a great time," Leinen said. "It felt awesome. I am so excited and I am looking forward to topping that off the rest of this season."
Nicholls led only twice in the game, but junior Mia Wesley notched two straight kills in the second set to quickly put the Golden Eagles back ahead. She added a service ace later, which helped the team close the set out 25-18.
Southern Miss surged ahead in the deciding set on an 8-0 run, and Wesley finished the game with another service ace.
Wesley led both teams with 18 kills and added nine digs. The Orem, Utah native has recorded double-digit figures in kills every game this season.
Freshman Hayden Riddle split duties at setter again with Franky Panunzio, as the duo combined for 47 assists. Panunzio dished out a career-high 25 assists.
Defensively, Cara Atkinson led the Golden Eagles with four total blocks and Aysu Dalogullari recorded 18 digs. Dalogullari has recorded 15 or more digs in three consecutive games.
With the win, Southern Miss improves to 25-5 all-time versus Nicholls. The Golden Eagles also beat the Colonels in straight sets last weekend at the SFA Tournament.
Up Next
Southern Miss finishes the Golden Eagle Classic tomorrow with a match at 3 p.m. versus Mississippi Valley State. The team will then prepare for the Beale Street Challenge next weekend in Memphis, Tenn. with matches against Little Rock, Memphis and Arizona State.
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
The Golden Eagles hit a season-high .294 clip as a team, highlighted by a career-best outing from junior Reagan Leinen.
Leinen shone throughout the match, tallying five kills in the first set, which Southern Miss took 25-19. Her early start paved the way for a career-high 14 kills on an efficient .700 hitting percentage, which was the best by a Golden Eagle this season.
"I felt like we started the game off a little slow, but we started playing together as a team and really kicked it off, and we had a great time," Leinen said. "It felt awesome. I am so excited and I am looking forward to topping that off the rest of this season."
Nicholls led only twice in the game, but junior Mia Wesley notched two straight kills in the second set to quickly put the Golden Eagles back ahead. She added a service ace later, which helped the team close the set out 25-18.
Southern Miss surged ahead in the deciding set on an 8-0 run, and Wesley finished the game with another service ace.
Wesley led both teams with 18 kills and added nine digs. The Orem, Utah native has recorded double-digit figures in kills every game this season.
Freshman Hayden Riddle split duties at setter again with Franky Panunzio, as the duo combined for 47 assists. Panunzio dished out a career-high 25 assists.
Defensively, Cara Atkinson led the Golden Eagles with four total blocks and Aysu Dalogullari recorded 18 digs. Dalogullari has recorded 15 or more digs in three consecutive games.
With the win, Southern Miss improves to 25-5 all-time versus Nicholls. The Golden Eagles also beat the Colonels in straight sets last weekend at the SFA Tournament.
Up Next
Southern Miss finishes the Golden Eagle Classic tomorrow with a match at 3 p.m. versus Mississippi Valley State. The team will then prepare for the Beale Street Challenge next weekend in Memphis, Tenn. with matches against Little Rock, Memphis and Arizona State.
Follow @SouthernMissVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Team Stats
NichSt
USM
Kills
29
52
Errors
14
15
Attempts
120
126
Hitting %
.125
.294
Points
38.0
63.0
Assists
29
47
Aces
1
5
Blocks
8
6
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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