HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Louisiana Tech volleyball team fell to Southern Miss Friday night in Conference USA action 3-0 inside the Volleyball Wellness Center.

LA Tech falls to 8-17 on the year and 0-9 in Conference USA play, while the Golden Eagles improve to 11-14 overall and 3-8 in C-USA with the win. Scores of the match in favor of the Golden Eagles were 25-12, 25-20, 25-19.

Southern Miss scored the first six points of the match and extend the lead out to 16-6, before a 3-0 run by the Lady Techsters, featuring a kill by sophomore Samantha Hicks and a solo block by sophomore Carly Doros, cut the deficit down to 16-9. The Golden Eagles would score the next six points to take a 22-9 lead before claiming the set 25-12.

The Golden Eagles opened the second frame with four straight points before a 3-0 run by the Lady Techsters closed the deficit down to one at 4-3. Southern Miss put together another 6-0 run to take a 10-4 lead before extending that lead out to 16-9. A pair of kills by sophomore Faith Menary and a kill and block by Carly Doros sparks a 5-0 run cutting the deficit down to two at 16-14. Southern Miss scored the next four points to take a 20-14 lead and claimed the set 25-20.

The Lady Techsters responded in the early parts of the third set surging out to a 9-4 lead on a pair of kills by Hicks and a kill and a block by sophomore Morgan Smith. Southern Miss answered with a 12-3 run jumping out in front 21-16, before taking the set and the match with a 25-19 set win.
 
NOTABLES

• Faith Menary led the Lady Techsters offense with nine kill tonight.
• Morgan Smith recorded five total blocks, the fourth time this season she has collected five or more total blocks.
• Jaena Bell tied her season-high with four total blocks.
• Carly Doros collected six kills, hitting .250, while also collecting three total blocks.
• Freshman Libero McKenzie Johnson grabbed 11 digs, after missing the last four games for the Lady Techsters.
• Johnson has recorded double-digit digs in 19-of-the-21 games she has played in this season.
• The Lady Techsters out-blocked the Golden Eagles 9-6 in the match.
   

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Amber McCray
"Southern Miss outplayed up in all aspects of the game tonight. When we served and blocked well we gave ourselves chances, but we waited much too late in the match to do that. We won't beat anyone hitting .101 on the night and only one of our six attackers above .200 hitting. But, as much as our offense struggled, I'm more disappointed in our overall lack of effort and desire to respond to adversity tonight. That is something we will regroup and change tomorrow to put ourselves in better position to compete."

UP NEXT
The Lady Techsters and the Golden Eagles meet again tomorrow afternoon with first serve set for 2 p.m. inside the Volleyball Wellness Center in Hattiesburg, Miss.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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