Photo by Andrew Brown / MTSU Sidelines
Story by David Janes / Sports Reporter
It wasn’t an ideal start to the weekend for the volleyball team, as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (6-17, 2-7) loss in the straight sets to Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (15-8, 5-2).
It didn’t look good at all for the Blue Raiders, with the first set ending with a 25-16 loss. The second set didn’t get much better, as USM won by a score of 25-12.
The final set was the worst MTSU, as they failed to break double digits on the scoreboard. When all was said and done, Southern Mississippi walked away with a straight-set win by scores of 25-16, 25-12 and 25-9.
Southern Miss junior outside-hitter Kylie Grandy led both teams with ten kills, one ace, one dig and one block.
Even with the loss, Middle Tennessee’s Dora Peonia had nine kills, 12 digs and one block. Junior Bailey Mason also had a good game, adding seven kills, five digs and two blocks.
The season has taken quite the turn since their early winning streak. When it comes to what the team has to do to turn things around, they simply have to trust the process.
“Watching from the bench, I used my position as a captain and a teammate by utilizing timeouts and small breaks in plays to constantly remind the team what we do well as a team,” said junior Regan Coughlin. “I think this is important because in times when we have a game like we just played, (We have) to focus on the process and keep instilling the things that we know we do well.”
Even with this tough loss, the Blue Raiders have to get ready for their next game on the road. They will play at University of Alabama Birmingham at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
For more MTSU Volleyball stories, follow David Janes on Twitter at @David_Janes20
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