University of Southern Mississippi Athletics

Texas State Prevails in Game Two to Close Out San Marcos Series
11/2/2024 5:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Southern Miss Golden Eagles fell to Texas State in straight sets on Saturday afternoon, closing out their two-match weekend series in San Marcos.
Southern Miss opened the first set with a kill by Sadie McAda, but Texas State responded with a strong 7-1 run to take an early 7-2 lead. A Bobcat hitting error allowed Southern Miss to narrow the gap, helped by kills from Lillie Johnson and Aysu Dalogullari, bringing the score to 9-5. Texas State, however, surged with an 8-point run until a kill from Brynn Botkin halted their momentum at 17-6. Despite additional kills from Anna Tkach, Johnson, and McAda, Texas State maintained control to secure the set, 25-11.
In the second set, both teams exchanged points to reach a 3-3 tie before Texas State took control with a 7-point run. A series of Bobcat errors combined with kills from Botkin and Johnson brought the Golden Eagles closer, narrowing the score to 11-8. After two more Texas State kills, McAda and Johnson combined for a block to keep it tight at 13-9. Though Sunni Sheppard posted back-to-back aces and Francesca Panunzio contributed a solo block, Southern Miss ultimately fell short, with Texas State taking the set 25-18.
The third set saw low error rates from both teams as they traded kills up to a 16-16 tie. Panunzio and Tkach combined for a block, while Panunzio and Hayden Riddle distributed the ball across the front row to teammates Tkach, Botkin, Johnson, McAda and Izzy Kronenberg. Despite the Golden Eagles' offensive plays, Texas State capitalized on three consecutive aces to close out the set at 25-19, sweeping the match 3-0.
McAda led the Golden Eagles offensively with nine kills, while Panunzio recorded 20 assists. Sheppard and McAda each contributed 15 digs, and Tkach, McAda and Panunzio tallied two blocks apiece. Sheppard also posted two service aces.
Southern Miss will return home to host Troy for a pair of 6 p.m. matches on Thursday and Friday, November 7-8, in Hattiesburg.
To keep up with the Golden Eagles, follow @SouthernMissVB on Instagram, Twitter (X) and Facebook.
Southern Miss opened the first set with a kill by Sadie McAda, but Texas State responded with a strong 7-1 run to take an early 7-2 lead. A Bobcat hitting error allowed Southern Miss to narrow the gap, helped by kills from Lillie Johnson and Aysu Dalogullari, bringing the score to 9-5. Texas State, however, surged with an 8-point run until a kill from Brynn Botkin halted their momentum at 17-6. Despite additional kills from Anna Tkach, Johnson, and McAda, Texas State maintained control to secure the set, 25-11.
In the second set, both teams exchanged points to reach a 3-3 tie before Texas State took control with a 7-point run. A series of Bobcat errors combined with kills from Botkin and Johnson brought the Golden Eagles closer, narrowing the score to 11-8. After two more Texas State kills, McAda and Johnson combined for a block to keep it tight at 13-9. Though Sunni Sheppard posted back-to-back aces and Francesca Panunzio contributed a solo block, Southern Miss ultimately fell short, with Texas State taking the set 25-18.
The third set saw low error rates from both teams as they traded kills up to a 16-16 tie. Panunzio and Tkach combined for a block, while Panunzio and Hayden Riddle distributed the ball across the front row to teammates Tkach, Botkin, Johnson, McAda and Izzy Kronenberg. Despite the Golden Eagles' offensive plays, Texas State capitalized on three consecutive aces to close out the set at 25-19, sweeping the match 3-0.
McAda led the Golden Eagles offensively with nine kills, while Panunzio recorded 20 assists. Sheppard and McAda each contributed 15 digs, and Tkach, McAda and Panunzio tallied two blocks apiece. Sheppard also posted two service aces.
Southern Miss will return home to host Troy for a pair of 6 p.m. matches on Thursday and Friday, November 7-8, in Hattiesburg.
To keep up with the Golden Eagles, follow @SouthernMissVB on Instagram, Twitter (X) and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
USM
TXST
Kills
31
50
Errors
15
9
Attempts
122
117
Hitting %
.131
.350
Points
37.0
64.0
Assists
31
48
Aces
2
7
Blocks
4
7
Game Leaders
Wednesday, November 29
Friday, November 03
Saturday, October 21
Thursday, October 19
















