HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southeastern Louisiana split a volleyball doubleheader Friday at Southern Miss, winning the first match in four sets, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23, before the Golden Eagles rallied from a pair of sets down to hand the Lady Lions a 22-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-8 loss in five.
 
Kailin Newsome, a freshman from Houston, Texas, posted 22 kills and 12 digs in the opener, recording a double-double for Southeastern (2-1) in just her second collegiate match.
 
Southeastern was looking for its best start to a season since winning three of its first four matches to open the 2010 season.
 
MATCH ONE: SLU 3, USM 1
Southeastern and the Golden Eagles went back and forth in the initial set. Neither team led by more than two points until the Lady Lions pushed their way to a 23-19 advantage, holding on to claim the opener on a Newsome kill.
 
Southern Miss rattled off four-straight points late in the second set, taking a 22-20 lead and maintaining the advantage while finishing off the set. The Lady Lions bounced back, running out to a 10-point lead in the third set, claiming the set by eight.
 
Southeastern carried the momentum into the final set, building a seven-point advantage, 14-7, before the Golden Eagles came soaring back to tie the set, 15-15. The teams traded points until the Lady Lions ran off four straight, but Southern Miss answered with three of their own until Crispin Adams ended with a kill.
 
Newsome led Southeastern in kills while Sam Gomez contributed 11 kills and a pair of blocks. Calli Collins dished out 31 assists and Ariana Hebert chipped in an additional 18 helpers. Crispin Adams led the squad with five total blocks. Freshman libero Ansley Tullis tallied 20 digs, pacing the Lady Lions.
 
MATCH TWO: USM 3, SLU 2
The Lady Lions carried the momentum over from the earlier match by taking the first two sets.
 
In the initial set, Southeastern picked up five-consecutive point to wipe out a 12-11 deficit. The Golden Eagles rallied to tie it up, 21-21, but Southeastern scored four of the final five points to claim the set. In the second set, the Lady Lions built a five-point advantage, 8-3, and never looked back.
 
Southern Miss, looking to avoid a sweep at home, bounced back strong as the Lady Lions' offense went south. After hitting .205 during the first two sets, Southeastern hit .000 the remainder of the match.
 
Newsome (14 kills), recorded her third-straight match with double-digit kills and Karlee Wilkerson contributed 10 for Southeastern. Calli Collins (26 assists) and Ariana Hebert (17 assists, 12 digs) shared setting duties with Hebert posting a double-double.
 
Gomez had a hand in six of the Lady Lions' 10 team blocks while Adams had a pair of solo blocks to go with two block assists. Ansley Tullis and Lizzy Low tied for the team lead with 18 digs each.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern opens Southland Conference action with a pair of road matches, 6 p.m. Thursday against McNeese and 6 p.m. Friday versus Lamar.
 
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
 
DIGGIN' IT CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern volleyball program are encouraged to join the Diggin' It Club. Lion volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diggin' It Club and S Club (volleyball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpVB or @JWhiteSLU on Twitter, @LionUpVB on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.