The Southern Miss volleyball team fell short in its season finale to North Texas on Saturday afternoon in three sets (18-25, 23-25, 23-25). The loss dropped the Golden Eagles to 7-7 in C-USA play and 16-14 overall.

The Golden Eagles quickly fell behind in the first set, as North Texas jumped to a quick 6-3 lead. Southern Miss scored the next three points to tie the game 6-6, but North Texas scored four of the last five points in the set to win with a 25-18 score.

The second set looked to be promising for the Golden Eagles, as the team jumped out to a 10-3 lead. However, North Texas chipped away at the lead and deflated the advantage. North Texas took a 19-17 lead, but the Golden Eagles had an answer of their own, as they tied the game at 19 with kills from senior Alexis Coombs and junior Catherine Repsher. However, North Texas was able to finish off the Golden Eagles in the set with a 25-23 win to take a two-set lead.

In the third set, North Texas took a 5-3 lead early. Down 19-13 later in the set, the Golden Eagles forced some pressure late in the set with a 7-2 run, but North Texas ultimately took the set three victory by a score of 25-23 once again to win the game.

Senior Sarah Bell led the Golden Eagles in assists, totaling 30 on the night. Senior Kylie Grandy led the team with 13 kills, followed by Repsher with seven. Defensively, Coombs and sophomore Chandler Marshall both totaled four blocks. The Golden Eagles ended the match with 36 kills and 17 errors.

The Golden Eagles will now gear up for the 2018 C-USA Volleyball Tournament, where they will be the No. 7 seed. Southern Miss will face off against No. 2 seed Western Kentucky, who sports a 20-9 regular season record. The two teams will square off on Friday, Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m in Huntington, West Virginia.