Volleyball Soars to Sun Belt Quarterfinals in Sweep of Georgia State

Thursday, November 20

Foley, Ala. / Foley Sports Tourism Complex

1:30 p.m.

Southern Miss

17-11,8-8Sun Belt

(4E) Georgia State

18-10,9-7Sun Belt

Southern Miss.

Georgia St.

Volleyball Soars to Sun Belt Quarterfinals in Sweep of Georgia State

11/20/2025 5:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

FOLEY, Ala. - Southern Miss Volleyball heads into the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament after eliminating Georgia State in a 3-0 match.

Set one breaks out in a close opening frame, getting early kills from Elly Stewart, Emily Davis and Brynn Botkin to stay even with Georgia State. Stewart and Davis continued to pace the offense out of the first timeout, while Sadie McAda sparked a key run with back-to-back kills and a block that pushed USM ahead 16-11. Davis added another kill out of the second Georgia State timeout, and Botkin extended the lead to 20-15. McAda remained steady late in the frame with a kill to make it 23-17. After a service error brought up set point, McAda finished the job with her fourth kill of the set, closing out the opener 25-18 and giving Southern Miss a 1-0 lead.

Southern Miss opened the second set with kills from Botkin and McAda, then used back-to-back points from Elly Stewart to move in front 8–5. Georgia State briefly closed the gap, but Botkin and Stewart answered with steady swings while Davis added a kill to keep USM ahead 11-9. McAda took over the middle of the frame, delivering three kills and a block to push the lead to 16-11 and force another Georgia State timeout. Davis and Stewart teamed for a block out of the break, and Botkin added another kill as the Golden Eagles stayed in control at 19-15. Georgia State made a late push, but McAda responded again with two more kills to make it 23-18. The Panthers fought off one set point, but an error on the next rally closed the frame 25-20, giving Southern Miss set two.

Southern Miss opened the third set with kills from Brynn Botkin and Sadie McAda to move ahead 2-1 before Emily Davis and McAda added back-to-back points to push the lead to 7-5. McAda continued her strong night with another kill, and Elly Stewart followed with a kill and an ace to extend the advantage to 11-7. Botkin took over out of the Georgia State timeout, delivering three kills in a four-point stretch as USM built a 16–10 lead. Stewart and Davis later combined for a key block, and Botkin added another point to hold the margin at 19–15. Georgia State cut the deficit to 18–16, Stewart stopped the run with a kill, and Botkin and Sewell teamed for back-to-back blocks to make it 22–17. Botkin added her sixth kill of the set to bring up set point, and the Golden Eagles closed it out 25–18 to seal the match.

The Golden Eagles earned their keep with 46 kills to tally a .240 hitting percentage. McAda and Botkin both earned double-doubles, with McAda posting 16 kills and 14 digs, while Botkin notched 14 kills and 13 digs. Both setters Morgen Durgens and Gaby Zovko fueled the offense with 43 assists. Defensively, the team recorded 50 digs and 10 blocks.

The Golden Eagles continue their postseason stint against Arkansas State on Friday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. in Foley.

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