Louisiana Tech University
Southern Miss
Preview: LA Tech vs. Southern Miss
9/24/2026 3:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Louisiana Tech volleyball opens conference at home against Southern Miss in the first Sun Belt action of the year this weekend.
RUSTON - Louisiana Tech volleyball opens conference at home against Southern Miss in the first Sun Belt action of the year this weekend.Â
MATCH INFORMATION
DATE: Friday, Sept. 24 | 6:00 p.m. CT
          Saturday, Sept. 25 | 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Thomas Assembly Center
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (7-7, 0-0 SBC)
The Bulldogs closed the non-conference schedule with a historic hitting performance against Praire View A&M in the Wildcat Classic. In the 3-0 sweep, Louisiana Tech hit .424 as a team, the highest mark in 14 years. The team had 41 kills on 85 attempts with only five errors.Â
Tyra McKinnie led the way with 12 kills on 17 attempts and only one error. The dozen kills by the freshman are a new career high. McKinnie was unstoppable in the tournament, amassing 35 kills and hitting .544 percent, the highest among Sun Belt middle blockers for the week. McKinnie is ninth in the Sun Belt among qualified hitters with a .346 hitting percentage on the season.
Taylor Woods also shined, putting up a 17 kill performance against the Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin in a 3-1 defeat. It marked a new career high and the most kills by a Bulldog this season.
Riley Steubing continues to be one of the best liberos in the country, leading the Sun Belt with 4.96 digs/set, a mark that sits tied-sixth in the country. Steubing became only the third Bulldog in the last 20 years to reach 1,000 career digs earlier this month against Mississippi Valley State. She did so on match point.
Sydnee Carter also made history in the tournament, setting 44 assists against SFA. It marked a new career high and the most assists by a Bulldog in four years. Carter leads the team with 269 assists and has registered double-digit assists in every match this season.
Louisiana Tech ranks 38th in the country in aces/set at 1.91, the fourth highest mark in the Sun Belt.
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ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS (9-2, 0-0 SBC)
The Golden Eagles enter Ruston having won nine of their 11 non-conference matches. It is the most wins and the highest winning percentage among all Sun Belt teams.
Southern Miss leads the Sun Belt in aces per set (2.03) and digs per set (15.77).Â
Sadie McAda is the engine of the offense with a team leading 4.03 kills/set, the second highest mark in the Sun Belt. She currently sits at 990 career kills.Â
Sunni Sheppard bolsters the defense, averaging 3.97 digs/set, the sixth highest mark in the conference.
Transfer Allie Hazelwood has been the most productive setter in the league, setting 10.54 assists/set in non-conference play. Hazelwood is the only setter to have a mark above 10 in the Sun Belt and is 19th nationally in the category.
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THE SERIES
The Bulldogs trail the Golden Eagles 6-24 in the all-time series history. It is the first matchup since October 30th, a 3-1 Bulldogs victory in Hattiesburg.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs open conference season against Southern Miss in the Thomas Assembly Center on Friday (Sept. 25, 6 p.m. CT) and Saturday (Sept. 26, 1 p.m. CT). Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ are admission is free.
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