University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Georgia State
Volleyball Moves Series Against Georgia State to Thursday, Friday
10/7/2026 11:11:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss (11-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) closes their homestand at the Wellness Center with a two-match conference series against Georgia State (6-10, 0-4 Sun Belt). The matches were moved up because of inclement weather expected in the Hattiesburg area, first serve is slated for 6 p.m. CT Thursday with match two following on Friday at 2 p.m. CT.
Match Details
Thursday, Oct. 8 – 6 p.m. CT & Friday, Oct. 9 – 2 p.m. CT
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Wellness Center
Stream on ESPN+ – smttt.info/espnVB
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast – smttt.info/USM-SB
Last Time Out
The Golden Eagles are coming off their first home and conference losses of the season, dropping both matches to Troy. Southern Miss kept both contests close, winning two of eight sets and losing four of the six sets they dropped by a combined nine points.
Despite the results, Southern Miss made a major jump at the net. The Golden Eagles averaged 3.63 blocks per set against Troy, the top mark in the Sun Belt for the week. Before the series, they were averaging 1.57 blocks per set, near the bottom of the conference. As a team Southern Miss set new season-highs in blocks with 14 on Friday and 15 on Saturday recording double-digit blocks in consecutive matches for the first time since 2024. Maggie Sewell led that effort with 20 total blocks and an average of 2.86 per set, both the highest marks in the league for the week. Her 12 blocks Saturday were the most in a Sun Belt match this season, while her 11 block assists tied the program record for most in a match.
Sadie McAda continued to produce through the team's offensive struggles, finishing the weekend with 33 kills and her ninth and 10th double-doubles of the season. Her 4.13 kills per set ranked second in the conference for the week, and she remains second in the Sun Belt this season at 4.20 kills per set. Allie Hazelwood recorded 65 assists against Troy, averaging 8.13 per set, the sixth-highest weekly total in the league. She continues to lead the conference with 10.35 assists per set for the season. Sunni Sheppard averaged 3.88 digs per set last week, eighth in the Sun Belt, and ranks seventh in the conference this season at 4.09.
Opponent Scout
Georgia State enters the series at 6-10 overall and 0-4 in Sun Belt play after falling twice to James Madison. The Panthers took the second and third sets in Friday's five-set match before JMU rallied to win the final two. Georgia State is hitting .203 as a team entering the series and averages 11.88 kills, 11.22 assists, 14.11 digs and 2.22 blocks per set.
Akira Burt leads the Panthers with 3.69 kills per set, followed by Sophia Johnson at 3.02. Johnson and Sigrun Jonsdottir pace the back row with 2.77 and 3.35 digs per set, respectively, while Jayden Eaker leads the team with 1.05 blocks per set followed by Mina Olgar who averages a clean 1.00.
This week will feature the sixth and seventh meetings between the programs as Southern Miss leads the all-time series 5-0, including a win over Georgia State in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Nov. 20 in Foley, Ala. The Golden Eagles have swept the Panthers in four of the five matchups, with the other victory coming in four sets.
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