University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
10-2,1-0Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech
7-8,0-1Sun Belt
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Louisiana Tech | 22 | 16 | 23 | 0 |
Volleyball Sweeps LA Tech in Conference Opener
9/25/2026 9:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Ruston, La. – Southern Miss (10-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) opened Sun Belt Conference play in historic fashion Friday night, sweeping Louisiana Tech (7-8, 0-1 Sun Belt), 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-23), in the Golden Eagles' first conference match of the season at the Thomas Assembly Center. The match also marked Louisiana Tech's first Sun Belt Conference match in program history.
The Golden Eagles have now opened conference play with a 3-0 victory in each of the last three seasons. Southern Miss hit .257 as a team, including a .368 mark in the second set, while holding Louisiana Tech to a .150 hitting percentage.
Sadie McAda highlighted the night with a milestone performance, surpassing 1,000 career kills while recording her eighth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 10 digs. McAda, who reached 1,000 career digs earlier this season against Southern on Sept. 12, became the latest Golden Eagle to reach the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig milestones. She finished the night hitting .429 with 15 kills on 28 attacks.
Sunni Sheppard turned in her third 20-plus-dig performance of the season, while Allie Hazelwood recorded her sixth match with at least 35 assists this season, finishing with 37 assists. Aubrey Judd added nine kills, while Lillie Johnson and Elly Stewart contributed six and seven kills, respectively.
Southern Miss dropped the opening point of each set but quickly responded each time. The Golden Eagles erased an early deficit in the opening frame and took control behind a balanced offensive attack. McAda recorded three kills during the early stretch, while Judd and Johnson added kills as Southern Miss built an 11-14 advantage. Louisiana Tech battled back to tie the set at 18-18, marking the latest point in any set that the Golden Eagles did not hold a lead. Southern Miss answered with a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 advantage before closing the set, 25-22, on a Judd kill.
The Golden Eagles came out strong again in the second set, quickly overcoming the opening point. Louisiana Tech's final lead came at 6-5, as Southern Miss answered with a 7-0 run to take a 13-7 advantage. McAda, Stewart, Davis and Johnson all contributed kills during the run, while the Golden Eagles continued to apply pressure offensively. Southern Miss extended its lead to as many as 10 points before closing the set on a 4-0 run, capped by an attack error from the Bulldogs, to win 25-16 and take a 2-0 lead.
Southern Miss carried the momentum into the third set, overcoming another 1-0 deficit to take a 7-2 lead. McAda and Hazelwood connected early, while Hazelwood added a service ace as the Golden Eagles built their advantage. Stewart then sparked another run with back-to-back service aces, helping Southern Miss extend its lead to 19-11. Louisiana Tech responded late, cutting the deficit to 23-21, but the Golden Eagles held on. A Louisiana Tech service error gave Southern Miss match point before McAda closed out the sweep with her 15th kill of the night, 25-23.
The Golden Eagles and Bulldogs will meet again Saturday at 1 p.m. CT in the second match of the weekend series at the Thomas Assembly Center.
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