Louisiana Tech University
7-8,0-1Sun Belt
Southern Miss
10-2,1-0Sun Belt
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Louisiana Tech | 22 | 16 | 23 | 0 |
Bulldogs Fall to Golden Eagles in Conference Opener
9/25/2026 8:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Louisiana Tech volleyball dropped its Sun Belt Conference opener to Southern Miss, 3-0, Friday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
RUSTON – Louisiana Tech volleyball dropped its Sun Belt Conference opener to Southern Miss, 3-0, Friday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center.Â
Tyra McKinnie led the way with seven kills on 14 attempts, good for a .500 hitting percentage. McKinnie remains one of the most reliable hitters in the Sun Belt, being top 10 in the category.
Louisiana Tech (7-8, 0-1 SBC) battled throughout the opening set, trailing by as many as six points before pulling even at 18-18. The Bulldogs continued to fight late, but Southern Miss closed the set on a 5-3 run to take a 1-0 lead. Four different Bulldogs found a pair of kills.
The Golden Eagles carried the momentum into the second set, opening up an early advantage before taking the set, 25-16. Southern Miss hit .368 in the frame while limiting the Bulldogs to a .095 hitting percentage. Megan Cooley notched three kills while Sydnee Carter added six assists. Grace Krohn made her first appearance of the season in the set, also notching a pair of assists.
LA Tech came out battling in the third set, but Southern Miss built a 23-16 advantage late in the frame. The Bulldogs responded with a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to 24-23, but the Golden Eagles finished the match with the final point. Jenna Hehman provided a spark as well as McKinnie, both adding three kills each in the set.Â
McKinnie led the Bulldogs offensively with seven kills while hitting .500. Taylor Woods and Kylie Rodriguez each recorded six kills. Carter finished with a team high 17 assists while Abbi Sells led Tech defensively with 11 digs and three aces.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Scott Mattera
Southern Miss did a good job making us uncomfortable, you can tell it is a mature team. We show so many flashes, but we need to work on making those flashes last. Once we find that harmony, we will be a better team. Have to focus on the game plan and what we worked on in the week. We will make the changes we need to make.
NOTABLES
- Abbi Sells led the team with 11 digs, the first time in her career with double-digit digs.
- McKinnie hit .500 percent in the match, her sixth time hitting .500 or better.
- Carter led the way with 17 assists, her 11th time leading in assists this season.
- Krohn made her season debut tonight, setting four assists.
- Sells led the team with three aces.
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