University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, March 6
Tempe, Ariz. / Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility
10 a.m. CT (9 a.m. MT)
Southern Miss
5
vs
0
Stephen F. Austin
Golden Eagles Open Sun Devil Classic with Strong Showings
3/6/2026 9:40:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
TEMPE, Ariz. – Southern Miss (3-8, 0-0 Sun Belt) finished 1-2 on the sand in the first day of the Sun Devil Classic but pushed some of the nation's best teams to the brink at the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility. The Golden Eagles defeated Stephen F. Austin (3-2, 1-1 Southland) 5-0 before falling 3-2 to Nebraska (8-1, Independent) and No. 19 Arizona (7-3, 0-3 Big 12).
The Golden Eagles close out their stay in the desert with a dual against the host No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. CT (Noon MT) with live statistics available at SouthernMiss.com.
Southern Miss 5, Stephen F. Austin 0
The Golden Eagles opened the Sun Devil Classic with a dominate 5-0 win over Stephen F. Austin (3-2). The reigning Sun Belt Conference Pair of the Week of Zuzanna Michalska (Warsaw, Poland) and Abigail Lewis (The Woodlands, Texas) led things off with a two-set win at the second pairing and were quickly followed by Golden Eagle fourth pairing Iustina Corcoz (Bucharest, Romania) and Brooklyn Bowdler (Paragould, Ark.) who also posted a two-set win. The dual was Bowdler's first action of the season and gave Corcoz her third win at the fourth pairing.
In the second wave, top flight Laurel Dennis (Gulfport, Miss.) and Sadie McAda (Pleasanton, Texas) clinched the match for Southern Miss before the fifth and third pairings went to a decisive third set. Bonija Runce (Jurmala, Latvia) and Margarita Grigoreva (Moscow, Russia)
*1. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) def. Brynn Dowd/Ryann Allison (SFA) 21-11, 21-9
2. Zuzanna Michalska/Abigail Lewis (USM) def. Meagan Ledbetter/Reese Rich (SFA) 21-12, 21-13
3. Jaden White/Kitija Martini Adamsone (USM) def. Annabella Howerton/Lara Gilardi Parra de Souza (SFA) 19-21, 21-13, 15-6
4. Iustina Corcoz/Brooklyn Bowdler (USM) def. Gabrielle Damborowski/Luna França (SFA) 21-16, 21-17
5. Bonija Runce/Margarita Grigoreva (USM) def. Mikaela Dioso-Lopez/Gianna Reamer (SFA) 19-21, 21-13, 15-7
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1*, 5, 3
Nebraska 3, Southern Miss 2
Southern Miss took the first point of the dual thanks to Y-Nhu Do (Cary, N.C.) and Lillie Johnson's (Canyon Lake, Texas) at the fourth flight but the Huskers quickly tied things with a thrilling pair of sets at the 2s where Nebraska fielded two indoor All-Americans in Harper Murray and Andi Jackson.
Nebraska took the lead in the dual with a two-set win at the fifth pairing as the first and third flights went to a third set. The Huskers clinched point number three with a 15-11 win at the third pairing but Southern Miss' top flight of Dennis and McAda broke through to knock down the Nebraska 1s, which featured AVCA First Team All-American Bergen Reilly.
Dennis and McAda moved to 2-0 on the day and 7-3 on the year with the win.
1. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) def. Bergen Reilly/Teraya Sigler (NEB) 19-21, 21-19, 16-14
2. Harper Murray/Andi Jackosn (NEB) def. Zuzanna Michalska/Abigail Lewis (USM) 23-21, 21-13
*3. Skyler Pierce/Laney Choboy (NEB) def. Jaden White/Kitija Martini Adamsone (USM) 23-21, 15-21, 15-11
4. Y-Nhu Do/Lillie Johnson (USM) def. Olivia Mauch/Manaia Ogbechie (NEB) 21-14, 21-17
5. Keri Leimbach/Jayden Robinson (NEB) def. Bonija Runce/Iustina Corcoz (USM) 21-18, 21-17
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 3*, 1
No. 19 Arizona 3, Southern Miss 2
Southern Miss played its third match of the day against the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats and gave UofA all it could handle across all five pairings.
Arizona won the first point at the fours, but Southern Miss took control with back-to-back wins at the 2s and 5s by Michalska/Lewis and Corcoz/Grigoreva, respectively. With two pairings left to play, the Golden Eagles needed just one point as the teams went to set three at the first and third pairs.
The Wildcats tied things up with a 15-12 win in the third set at the threes with all eyes turning to the top flight battle. Southern Miss' Dennis and McAda took an early lead but the Wildcat 1s brought things even as the got out of the technical timeout. The Wildcats held on and took the lead late with a run to escape 15-12 in the deciding set to take the pair and overall dual, 3-2.
1. Cregan Holmer/Carlie Cisneros (UA) def. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) 21-19, 18-21, 15-12
2. Zuzanna Michalska/Abigail Lewis (USM) def. Ashlyn Zilliken/Madeline Walker (UA) 21-19, 22-24, 16-14
3. Adriana Nieves Papaleo./Tylee Shires (UA) def. Kitija Martini Adamsone/Brooklyn Bowdler (USM) 23-21, 17-21, 15-12
4. Jamie Streit/Sophia Winter (UA) def. Y-Nhu Do/Lillie Johnson (USM) 21-12, 21-17
5. Iustina Corcoz/Margarita Grigoreva (USM) def. Brooke Boyko/Sadie Moore (UA) 21-9, 23-21
Order of finish 4, 2, 5, 3, 1*
The Golden Eagles close out their stay in the desert with a dual against the host No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. CT (Noon MT) with live statistics available at SouthernMiss.com.
Southern Miss 5, Stephen F. Austin 0
The Golden Eagles opened the Sun Devil Classic with a dominate 5-0 win over Stephen F. Austin (3-2). The reigning Sun Belt Conference Pair of the Week of Zuzanna Michalska (Warsaw, Poland) and Abigail Lewis (The Woodlands, Texas) led things off with a two-set win at the second pairing and were quickly followed by Golden Eagle fourth pairing Iustina Corcoz (Bucharest, Romania) and Brooklyn Bowdler (Paragould, Ark.) who also posted a two-set win. The dual was Bowdler's first action of the season and gave Corcoz her third win at the fourth pairing.
In the second wave, top flight Laurel Dennis (Gulfport, Miss.) and Sadie McAda (Pleasanton, Texas) clinched the match for Southern Miss before the fifth and third pairings went to a decisive third set. Bonija Runce (Jurmala, Latvia) and Margarita Grigoreva (Moscow, Russia)
*1. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) def. Brynn Dowd/Ryann Allison (SFA) 21-11, 21-9
2. Zuzanna Michalska/Abigail Lewis (USM) def. Meagan Ledbetter/Reese Rich (SFA) 21-12, 21-13
3. Jaden White/Kitija Martini Adamsone (USM) def. Annabella Howerton/Lara Gilardi Parra de Souza (SFA) 19-21, 21-13, 15-6
4. Iustina Corcoz/Brooklyn Bowdler (USM) def. Gabrielle Damborowski/Luna França (SFA) 21-16, 21-17
5. Bonija Runce/Margarita Grigoreva (USM) def. Mikaela Dioso-Lopez/Gianna Reamer (SFA) 19-21, 21-13, 15-7
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1*, 5, 3
Nebraska 3, Southern Miss 2
Southern Miss took the first point of the dual thanks to Y-Nhu Do (Cary, N.C.) and Lillie Johnson's (Canyon Lake, Texas) at the fourth flight but the Huskers quickly tied things with a thrilling pair of sets at the 2s where Nebraska fielded two indoor All-Americans in Harper Murray and Andi Jackson.
Nebraska took the lead in the dual with a two-set win at the fifth pairing as the first and third flights went to a third set. The Huskers clinched point number three with a 15-11 win at the third pairing but Southern Miss' top flight of Dennis and McAda broke through to knock down the Nebraska 1s, which featured AVCA First Team All-American Bergen Reilly.
Dennis and McAda moved to 2-0 on the day and 7-3 on the year with the win.
1. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) def. Bergen Reilly/Teraya Sigler (NEB) 19-21, 21-19, 16-14
2. Harper Murray/Andi Jackosn (NEB) def. Zuzanna Michalska/Abigail Lewis (USM) 23-21, 21-13
*3. Skyler Pierce/Laney Choboy (NEB) def. Jaden White/Kitija Martini Adamsone (USM) 23-21, 15-21, 15-11
4. Y-Nhu Do/Lillie Johnson (USM) def. Olivia Mauch/Manaia Ogbechie (NEB) 21-14, 21-17
5. Keri Leimbach/Jayden Robinson (NEB) def. Bonija Runce/Iustina Corcoz (USM) 21-18, 21-17
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 3*, 1
No. 19 Arizona 3, Southern Miss 2
Southern Miss played its third match of the day against the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats and gave UofA all it could handle across all five pairings.
Arizona won the first point at the fours, but Southern Miss took control with back-to-back wins at the 2s and 5s by Michalska/Lewis and Corcoz/Grigoreva, respectively. With two pairings left to play, the Golden Eagles needed just one point as the teams went to set three at the first and third pairs.
The Wildcats tied things up with a 15-12 win in the third set at the threes with all eyes turning to the top flight battle. Southern Miss' Dennis and McAda took an early lead but the Wildcat 1s brought things even as the got out of the technical timeout. The Wildcats held on and took the lead late with a run to escape 15-12 in the deciding set to take the pair and overall dual, 3-2.
1. Cregan Holmer/Carlie Cisneros (UA) def. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) 21-19, 18-21, 15-12
2. Zuzanna Michalska/Abigail Lewis (USM) def. Ashlyn Zilliken/Madeline Walker (UA) 21-19, 22-24, 16-14
3. Adriana Nieves Papaleo./Tylee Shires (UA) def. Kitija Martini Adamsone/Brooklyn Bowdler (USM) 23-21, 17-21, 15-12
4. Jamie Streit/Sophia Winter (UA) def. Y-Nhu Do/Lillie Johnson (USM) 21-12, 21-17
5. Iustina Corcoz/Margarita Grigoreva (USM) def. Brooke Boyko/Sadie Moore (UA) 21-9, 23-21
Order of finish 4, 2, 5, 3, 1*
– #SMTTT –
Players Mentioned
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