Southern Miss women’s volleyball enjoyed back-to-back sweeps this past weekend as they opened home conference play.
The Golden Eagles began the series against ULM with a convincing 3-0 victory, breaking their five-game losing streak and offering a promising start. USM tallied a total of 56 points, with 109 attempts, 39 kills, 36 assists, and 11 blocks.
In game one of the series, junior, Ari Barksdale, stood out for Southern Miss, achieving career highs in both offense and defense.
“Ari has been putting in tremendous effort, and that’s a significant part of the team’s identity,” Head Coach Jenny Hazelwood said. “Ari is truly committed to excelling in her role, working diligently on her transitions and routes to ensure she can hit and be available. She executes that plan, making herself available. Her blocking skills, along with her ability to react to the game’s dynamics, are at a high level. I’m genuinely proud of Ari and her accomplishments because she’s earned them,”
Barksdale recorded a career-high ten kills with an impressive hitting percentage of .467, in addition to contributing seven blocks.
Prior to the last two matches against Troy, Southern Miss had only reached double-digit blocks once this season.
“Blocking has been a significant focus for us, not just in terms of technique but also mentally,” Hazelwood said. “The team has shown great mental focus, and our blocking in this match and the last has been some of our best. The entire team deserves credit for this.”
The team as a whole delivered an outstanding performance. Mia Wesley led with 11 kills and ten digs, marking her seventh double-double of the season. Cara Atkinson contributed seven kills, six digs, and four blocks. Ella Voorhees, in her second start as the setter, provided 33 assists and 9 digs. Megan Harris led both teams in digs with 19.
The momentum was set early with four kills by Barksdale in the first set, including two early blocks and a solo block on the first play. The Eagles concluded the first set with a score of 25-17, following a 9-2 run.
In the second set, Barksdale, alongside Wesley, contributed 15 points with a combination of kills and a service ace, securing the win.
The third set proved to be highly competitive, but the Golden Eagles pulled ahead towards the end, thanks to the efforts of Barksdale, Atkinson, and freshman Sadie McAda. A block by Wesley and Atkinson extended the lead by 8 points, resulting in a final score of 25-17 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
On the second day of play against ULM, the Golden Eagles continued their dominance by sweeping the Warhawks in three consecutive sets, with set scores of 25-18, 25-21, and 27-21. Wesley delivered an outstanding performance on Friday night, making history by surpassing Sharon Montgomery for the tenth most kills in program history. Wesley earned her spot on the list with her team-leading 18th kill of the game, which also gave Southern Miss the crucial go-ahead score late in the third set, securing the team’s second consecutive sweep. Wesley has accumulated an impressive 1,225 kills in her three seasons as a Golden Eagle. In addition to her milestone, Wesley achieved a season-high .432 hitting percentage and recorded nine digs. Her exceptional performance contributed to Southern Miss’s successful offensive outing, with the team registering a .321 hitting percentage.
“Coaches and teams will know that this player is good, but then when you have to face somebody like that, she just has every shot, she hits it hard, she’ll go short…she is just intentional with so many different swings and shots that she’s hitting,” Hazelwood said. “She’s super difficult to defend, and she is starting to get more into a rhythm, and that’s huge. This season, she hasn’t exactly been where she has been number-wise in the past, but she just keeps on working. Mia just works, so you can see that she’s starting to feel more comfortable, and that has to do a lot with our whole offense as we’re all settling in.”
Southern Miss made an impressive comeback in the opening set, recovering from a six-point deficit as Wesley gained momentum, delivering nine kills in the period. The Golden Eagles took the lead at 18-16 with consecutive kills from Wesley, igniting a 7-1 run that ultimately led to a 25-18 set victory, sealed by another kill from Wesley.
The second set saw both teams evenly matched, resulting in the game being tied 15 times with seven lead changes. Southern Miss managed to establish a four-point advantage during a run, which was clinched by Ari Barksdale’s two blocks. They maintained this lead to secure a 25-21 victory. Barksdale once again led the team with three blocks and contributed six kills, achieving an impressive .500 hitting rate. McAda also excelled in this period, recording four kills.
In the third set, the Warhawks and Southern Miss engaged in a back-and-forth battle until Southern Miss broke open the game with a 5-0 run, culminating in a service ace by Harris. ULM mounted their own comeback, reducing the deficit to just one point and eventually taking the lead at 24-23. As both teams continued to exchange points, Wesley’s milestone kill gave Southern Miss a set point, and McAda sealed the game with her tenth kill, resulting in the team’s seventh sweep of the season. It’s noteworthy that all of the Golden Eagles’ victories this season have been 3-0 wins.
Additionally, McAda achieved a career-high ten kills, and sophomore setter Ella Voorhees provided 36 assists in three sets, along with a career-high 13 digs. Defensively, Megan Harris led both teams with 17 digs. With these two wins over the weekend, the Golden Eagles now hold a record of 7-10, with a 2-4 standing in the Sun Belt conference. Southern Miss has extended its winning streak to eight consecutive games at home, dating back to last season.
Looking ahead, the Golden Eagles will defend their home court once again next weekend against Texas State on October 13-14.
