Sept. 4, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss plays the second of four tournaments when the Golden Eagles travel to Lake Charles, La., for the McNeese State Tournament, Sept. 5-6. Southern Miss opens play against Mississippi State before taking on Grambling State, then closing out the tournament against Nicholls State.

Southern Miss is coming off a 3-0 weekend in which the Golden Eagles captured the Air Force Tournament title. This is the first 3-0 start since 1999.

Stevi Cherry and Maia Ivanova were named to the all-tournament team with Cherry earning MVP honors. Cherry finished the tournament with a .358 attack percentage, 32 kills and 11 digs, while Ivanova had 30 digs and three aces. Ivanova became the 12th player in Golden Eagle history to reach the 1,000-dig plateau. As a team, Southern Miss registered 119 kills, 20 aces, 38.5 team blocks and 113 digs.

Seven freshmen made their collegiate debut and contributed heavily. Freshmen setters Bridget Whalen and Kelsea Seymour recorded 46 and 44 assists, respectively. Sarah Jane Bowden and Lauren Sears anchored a strong blocking performance, registering 17 and 15 total blocks, respectively.

Veterans Ashley Petrinec and Angela Hlavaty turned in solid performances over the weekend as well. Petrinec collected 26 kills and 24 digs, while Hlavaty tallied 21 kills and 16 total blocks.

Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State enters the tournament with a 2-1 record following the MSU Classic. The Bulldogs finished second to Colorado. Cristina Jucan and Ioana Demian earned all-tournament honors for their performances. Jucan tallied 33 kills for a 3.67 per set average. State leads the series 41-10.

Scouting Grambling State
Grambling State enters the tournament with 0-3 following the USF Invitational. The Tigers lost to USF, Northeastern and Eastern Kentucky. Kayla Williams led the way with 22 kills over the weekend. Southern Miss leads the series 1-0.

Scouting Nicholls State
Nicholls State enters the tournament 0-3 following its appearance in the Crimson Tide Invitational. The Colonels return four starters from last season. Manieka Golden leads Nicholls State attack with 14 kills. Southern Miss leads the series 29-14.

Upcoming Match
Southern Miss travels to San Diego for the San Diego Tournament. The Golden Eagles open with Texas A&M, followed by host San Diego and close with Cal State Fullerton. San Diego is sporting a No. 21 ranking.