University of Southern Mississippi Athletics

Volleyball Hosts Golden Eagle Invitational
9/18/2025 2:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss volleyball kicks off another weekend of home matches, hosting the Golden Eagle Invitational Friday and Saturday. The Golden Eagles face Grambling State at 6 p.m. Friday before taking on Northwestern State at 12 p.m. and Jackson State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Southern Miss (5-3, 0-0 SBC) enters the weekend after a 3-1 loss to Mississippi State, where the all-time match attendance record was nearly doubled from the previous mark set in last Friday's win over Mercer in the Southern Miss Invitational.
Sadie McAda recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 16 digs, while Elly Stewart hit .385 with 13 kills. Setter Morgen Durgens dished out 36 assists with 11 digs, and libero Sunni Sheppard anchored the back row with 10 digs. Brynn Botkin added a well-rounded effort with eight kills, seven digs and two block assists.
Nationally, Sheppard ranks 43rd in digs per set at 4.44, placing her ahead of Dayton libero Karissa Kaminski and Mississippi State's McKenna Yates.
Within the Sun Belt, the Golden Eagles lead the conference in digs per set (17.59). They also rank second in points per set (17.37) and kills per set (13.85). Individually, Durgens is third in assists per set (9.80), while McAda ranks third in kills per set (4.33).
Grambling State (0-7, 0-0 SWAC) enters the weekend after a 3-0 loss to New Orleans, where the Tigers finished with 30 kills on 112 swings for a .071 hitting percentage. Friday's match will also be Professor Night, in which professors of the Golden Eagle student-athletes will be recognized prior to first serve. The Tigers are coached by Paige Phillips, who is in her fourth season at Grambling State.
Northwestern State (1-10, 0-0 SLC) comes to Hattiesburg following a 3-1 loss to North Texas in Arlington. The Demons finished with 39 kills and a .195 hitting percentage. Head coach Ben Kaszeta is in his first season at Northwestern State after previously serving as an assistant at Lamar.
Jackson State (0-8, 0-0 SWAC) joins the field after falling 3-1 to ULM in four competitive sets. The Tigers tallied 47 kills with a .164 hitting percentage. Head coach Marcus Hereford is in his second year at Jackson State after spending six years as an assistant.
All Southern Miss matches will be available to view on ESPN+.
To keep up with the Golden Eagles, follow our Instagram (@southernmissvball), X (@southernmissvb), and Facebook (Southern Miss Volleyball).
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