Southern Miss sweeps Houston Christian to open Southern Miss Invitational
Southern Miss swept Houston Christian 3-0 on Thursday at the Wellness Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, opening the Southern Miss Invitational. The Golden Eagles won 26-24, 25-16 and 25-23 to improve to 5-1, while Houston Christian fell to 1-6.
Lillie Johnson led Southern Miss with a career-high 13 kills and a .524 attack percentage on 21 attempts. Sadie McAda also had 13 kills, while Elly Stewart added six kills and hit .357. Allie Hazelwood recorded 31 assists, and Sunni Sheppard led the defense with 24 digs.
The opening set featured nine ties and six lead changes. Southern Miss trailed 23-20 before tying the score at 23. After Houston Christian took a 24-23 lead, McAda recorded a kill, the Huskies committed an attack error and Johnson finished the set with a kill.
Southern Miss took control of the second set with an early 7-2 run and extended its lead to 16-8. The Golden Eagles closed out the set 25-16, with McAda contributing five kills and Johnson recording three block assists.
In the third set, Southern Miss opened with a 4-0 lead, but Houston Christian tied the score at 13. The Huskies later led 23-21 before the Golden Eagles scored four straight points. Hazelwood's solo block tied the set at 23, and Stewart followed with back-to-back aces to complete the 25-23 victory.
Southern Miss totaled 40 kills, six blocks and eight service aces, while holding Houston Christian to a .119 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles will face Lamar on Friday, followed by Southern and Jackson State on Saturday in the remainder of the invitational.
Source: Southern Miss Athletics.
