University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Troy
Southern Miss Welcome Troy for Sun Belt Home Opener
10/1/2026 12:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss (11-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) returns home for the first time in conference play this weekend, hosting Troy (6-5, 1-1 SBC) at the Wellness Center at 6 p.m. CT Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. Friday's match will serve as Gold Rush X Greek Night, while Saturday will be the Golden Eagles' Pink Out match.
Match Details
Friday, Oct. 2 – 6 p.m. CT & Saturday, Oct. 3 - 4 p.m. CT
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Wellness Center
Stream on ESPN+ – smttt.info/espnVB
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast – smttt.info/USM-SB
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend riding a three-match winning streak after sweeping Louisiana Tech in Friday's Sun Belt opener before earning a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday. Southern Miss' 11 wins are the most in the Sun Belt, while their .846 winning percentage also leads the league. The Golden Eagles rank first in the conference in digs per set (15.91) and aces per set (2.07), while allowing a league-low 10.93 kills and 10.09 assists per set.
Southern Miss' offense found its rhythm last weekend after a challenging stretch earlier in the season. The Golden Eagles hit .241 across the two matches against Louisiana Tech and averaged 14.57 kills per set, totaling 102 kills while holding the Bulldogs to 71. The 14.57 kills per set ranked third in the Sun Belt for the week, while the team's .239 attack percentage ranked fifth.
Setter Allie Hazelwood was named Sun Belt Setter of the Week for the second time this season following her performance against Louisiana Tech. Hazelwood led the conference with 83 assists and 11.86 assists per set during the two-match sweep. She recorded her third double-double of the season Saturday with 46 assists and 14 digs after posting 37 assists and five digs in Friday's three-set victory. For the season, Hazelwood leads the Sun Belt with 10.74 assists per set, a mark that ranks 14th nationally, and has totaled 494 assists.
Hazelwood's second weekly honor makes her the first Southern Miss player to earn multiple conference Setter of the Week honors in the same season since Kelsea Seymour received back-to-back Conference USA Setter of the Week awards on Nov. 14 and 21, 2011.
Senior outside hitter Sadie McAda also reached a career milestone last weekend, surpassing 1,000 career kills during Friday's sweep of Louisiana Tech. McAda finished the week with a conference-best 37 kills and ranked first in the SBC in both kills per set (5.29) and points per set (5.92). She hit .354 across 82 attacks and recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 10 digs Friday before producing a season-high 22 kills and 24.5 points Saturday. McAda currently ranks second in the Sun Belt with 4.22 kills per set.
Defensively, Sunni Sheppard continued to anchor the Golden Eagles. Sheppard averaged 5.00 digs per set last weekend, collecting 35 digs across seven sets. She recorded 20 digs in Friday's three-set match and added 11 assists and two service aces across the weekend. Her performance helped Southern Miss limit Louisiana Tech to 10.14 kills per set and a .145 hitting percentage.
Last Time Out
Southern Miss opened Sun Belt play on the road at Louisiana Tech, earning a pair of victories in Ruston La. The Golden Eagles swept the Bulldogs 3-0 Friday before taking a 3-1 decision Saturday. McAda led the Southern Miss offense with 37 kills across the two matches, while Hazelwood distributed 83 assists. Sheppard paced the back row with 35 digs. McAda's 15 kills Friday pushed her over 1,000 career kills, while her 22 kills Saturday marked a season high.
Opponent Scout
Troy enters the weekend at 6-5 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt play after splitting a pair of matches with Louisiana last weekend. The Trojans opened conference play with a 3-1 victory before falling 3-2 in Saturday's rematch. Troy enters the weekend hitting .240 as a team and averaging 12.82 kills and 1.95 service aces per set. Defensively, the Trojans are averaging 13.74 digs and 1.68 blocks per set.
Kalina Calvillo leads Troy offensively at 3.45 kills per set and 4.28 points per set, while Isa Ruether is averaging 2.61 kills per set and 2.79 points per set. Madison Marx directs the Troy offense with 6.00 assists per set, while Josie Hensley contributes 4.32 assists per set. Defensively, Haley Nash leads the Trojans with 3.16 digs per set, while Olivia Kwiatkowski averages 2.74 digs per set. At the net, Sophie Ocampo leads Troy with 0.84 blocks per set, followed by Ashlynn Axtell at 0.66 blocks per set.
The two programs have met 12 times with Troy leading the all-time series 8-4 with an active seven-match winning streak going against Southern Miss. 2025 featured a pair of five-set victories for the Trojans in Troy, Ala. on Nov. 7-8.
To keep up with the Golden Eagles, follow our Instagram (@southernmissvball), X (@southernmissvb), and Facebook (Southern Miss Volleyball).
– #SMTTT –
