University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
4-0,0-0Sun Belt
Central Arkansas
0-4,0-0UAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Ark. | 18 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| Southern Miss. | 25 | 25 | 35 | 3 |
Volleyball Splits Pair of Matches at Rebel Volleyball Cassic
9/5/2026 10:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. – Southern Miss (4-1) heads home Saturday after splitting a pair of matches in Oxford, sweeping Central Arkansas (0-4) before suffering its first loss of the season to Ole Miss. The Golden Eagles opened the day with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 35-33) victory over the Sugar Bears before falling 3-1 (32-30, 20-25, 25-23, 25-14) to the Rebels at the Gillom Center.
Sadie McAda led the Golden Eagles with 34 kills across the two matches, including 17 in the sweep of Central Arkansas and 16 against Ole Miss. Diana Wells added 20 kills on the day, highlighted by 11 against Central Arkansas, while Elly Stewart contributed 15 kills. Setter Allie Hazelwood totaled 78 assists between the two matches to improve her SBC leading assists per set mark to 10.6.
Southern Miss' first match of the day featured a dominant performance against Central Arkansas, hitting .226 as a team and recording 51 kills while their defense held the opposition to just a .105 mark. The Golden Eagles controlled the first two sets before surviving a marathon third set.
The third set featured 19 tie scores and 10 lead changes as neither team could pull away. Southern Miss held a 30-29 advantage before Central Arkansas answered, but the Golden Eagles eventually closed the match with back-to-back points. Wells delivered the final kill to complete the sweep and cap a 35-33 thriller.
Southern Miss then faced host Ole Miss in the evening session and battled the Rebels throughout the first three sets. The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the opening set before Ole Miss rallied to force extra points. Southern Miss held leads of 29-28 and 30-29, but the Rebels scored the final three points to take the set, 32-30.
The Golden Eagles responded by taking the second set, 25-20, behind a .300 team hitting percentage. Southern Miss built control after tying the set at 8-8 and maintained the advantage through the remainder of the frame to even the match at 1-1.
The Golden Eagles again established an early advantage in the third, building a 9-4 lead before Ole Miss began to chip away. Southern Miss maintained a 14-9 advantage, but the Rebels eventually tied the set at 16-16. The teams traded points late, with Southern Miss pulling within 24-23 following an Ole Miss attack error, but the Rebels closed the set on a block to take a 2-1 match lead.
Ole Miss controlled the fourth set from the middle stages onward. After the teams were tied at 5-5, the Rebels used an 8-1 run to take a 13-6 advantage and continued to build their lead. Ole Miss hit .667 in the final set, recording 17 kills with just one attack error, to secure the 25-14 victory and the match.
The Golden Eagles return home next week to host the Southern Miss Invitational at the Wellness Center. Southern Miss opens the tournament against Houston Christian on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles will then face Lamar Friday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m., before closing the tournament against Southern Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon and Jackson State at 5 p.m.
To keep up with the Golden Eagles, follow our Instagram (@southernmissvball), X (@southernmissvb), and Facebook (Southern Miss Volleyball).
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