University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Marshall
11/11/2026 6:22:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss (16-9, 7-7 Sun Belt) heads to Huntington, W.Va., for its final regular-season series, facing Marshall (14-11, 7-7 Sun Belt) on Thursday, Nov. 12, and Friday, Nov. 13. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday and 5 p.m. CT Friday at the Cam Henderson Center. The final series gives both teams one last chance to build momentum before the Sun Belt Conference Championship, which begins Nov. 19 in Foley, Ala.
Match Details
Thursday, Nov. 12 – 6:30 p.m. CT & Friday, Nov. 13 – 5 p.m. CT
Cam Henderson Center – Huntington, W.Va.
Stream on ESPN+ – smttt.info/espnVB
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast – smttt.info/MUstats
Last Time Out
Southern Miss split its final home series of the season with South Alabama, falling 3-1 Friday before responding with a sweep Saturday. In the opener, the Golden Eagles set a season high with 97 digs, led by Sunni Sheppard's match-high 27 and Sadie McAda's 20. McAda added 13 kills for her 18th double-double of the season, while Allie Hazelwood had 43 assists and 16 digs.
The Golden Eagles delivered a more complete performance in Saturday's rematch, sweeping South Alabama 3-0 for their first home conference sweep of the season. Southern Miss led the Jaguars in kills, 47-35, and digs, 63-56, and hit .205. McAda recorded 16 kills and 10 digs for her 19th double-double, and Hazelwood recorded her 1,000th assist for her career while collecting her ninth double-double. Diana Wells added 11 kills, and Sheppard led the match with 19 digs.
Southern Miss finished 6-6 against divisional opponents and earned the West's fifth seed in the Sun Belt Championship for the third straight season. The Golden Eagles will face Coastal Carolina, the East's fourth seed, in the opening round.
During conference play, Southern Miss ranks near the top of the league in several statistical categories. The Golden Eagles rank fourth in points per set (17.30), second in assists per set (12.70), fourth in kills per set (13.70), fifth in aces per set (1.54) and first in digs per set (18.77). Southern Miss players also rank among the conference's leaders: Hazelwood was first in assists per set (10.49), McAda was third in kills per set (3.95), and Sheppard was third in digs per set (4.85).
Opponent Scout
The Thundering Herd are 14-11 overall and 7-7 in Sun Belt play. They have dropped their last four matches, dating back to Oct. 29, when they fell in five sets to Georgia Southern. Last weekend, Marshall suffered a pair of four-set losses to App State in Boone, N.C. The Herd will look to get back in the win column before postseason play. Marshall earned the East's third seed and will face Troy in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
During conference play, Marshall ranks seventh in kills per set (12.53), sixth in digs per set (14.93) and eighth in hitting percentage (.212). Maddie Smith leads the Herd with 3.45 kills per set, and setter Kahea Carvalho averages 6.80 assists per set. On defense, Emma Sayre leads the team in digs per set (3.79), and Beatrice Ciccarelli leads in blocks per set (1.02).
Marshall and Southern Miss have competed in the same conference since 2005, with both programs moving from Conference USA to the Sun Belt in 2022. The teams have played 29 volleyball matches, with Marshall holding a slight 15-14 edge. This will be the third straight season the teams have met in a series. Marshall swept the series in Huntington in 2024, before Southern Miss returned the favor with a sweep in Hattiesburg in 2025.
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