Aug. 30, 2012

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss volleyball team travels to Lafayette, La., to compete in the Bon Temps Invitational Friday and Saturday in the Earl K. Long Gym.

Hurricane Isaac prompted a schedule change for the weekend tournament. Southern Miss will now open with McNeese State at 3 p.m. on Friday and play Houston Baptist at 9 a.m., Saturday morning and conclude at 11:30 a.m. with host Louisiana.

Southern Miss Quick Hits

• Sophomore middle blocker Jasmine Crowell leads the team in kills (3.89 kps) on .343 hitting clip
• Senior outside hitter Halie Ecker is right behind at 3.44 kps
• Sophomore setter Kristen Fleming is distributing 10.00 assist per set while senior libero Elizabeth Rinaudo is coming up with 3.44 digs per set
• The Golden Eagle team has an attack percentage of .220 while averaging 12.11 kills per set
• USM also is averaging 12.89 digs per set

Scouting the Field

• McNeese comes into the tournament with a 0-3 record
• Freshman outside hitter Malina Sanchez leads the Cowgirls with 32 kills and is second on the team with 27 digs
• Sanchez was named to the Michigan State Spartan Showcase all-tournament team
• Freshman Kimberlyn Patterson leads the Cowgirls with 33 digs and freshman Kelly Graham leads the team with 86 assists.
• Houston Baptist comes into the Invitational with a 3-1 record after posting a 3-0 win over Prairie View on Tuesday
• The Huskies returned seven letterwinners including all four starters from a year ago that finished 22-9
• Madeline Gaffney and Heather Leaverton lead Houston Baptist offensively with 44 and 39 kills, respectively
• Esther Longoria leads the team in digs with 42 while Victoria Weatherly is giving out 11.15 assists per set.
• Louisiana enters the tournament with a 1-2 record after competing in the Sam Houston Invite
• The Ragin' Cajuns returned 10 letterwinners including four starters from last year's team that finished 14-18
• Lavinia Tataran leads the team with 2.73 kills per set while Caitlyn Auxilien leads the team in digs at 5.27 per set
• Mandi Gavin is handing out 8.55 assists per set

Series Record Against the Field

• Southern Miss is 0-1 against Houston Baptist after playing a four-set match in last season in the Husky Classic
• The Golden Eagles own an 8-4 record against McNeese when USM team defeated the Cowgirls in 2008 in the Southern Miss Invitational
• Louisiana leads the series with Southern Miss, 20-10. Southern Miss won the last meeting between the two teams in 2006 in the Southern Miss Invitational in a five-setter

What's Next?

• Southern Miss remains on the road for its third tournament of the season when the Golden Eagles travel to Arlington, Texas for the Hilton Classic, Sept. 7-8
• USM opens play on Friday against Northwestern State a 4 p.m., followed by a match against Marist on Saturday at 11 a.m. and concludes with UT Arlington at 7 p.m.