BATON ROUGE, La. — The Southern volleyball team heads to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this weekend for the Southern Miss Invitational at the Southern Miss Wellness Center.
 
The Lady Jaguars open the tournament Friday against Lamar at 10:30 a.m. before facing Houston Christian at 4 p.m. Southern will close out the weekend against tournament host Southern Miss at noon Saturday. Saturday's match against the Golden Eagles will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
Friday's matchup with Lamar marks the fifth meeting between the two programs, with the Cardinals holding a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series. Lamar recorded a 3-0 victory over the Lady Jaguars last season in New Orleans. Southern will face Houston Christian for the first time, while Saturday's matchup with Southern Miss will mark the eighth meeting between the two programs. The Golden Eagles earned a 3-0 victory over Southern at the Gamecock Classic to open the season.
 
Southern enters the weekend after earning a 3-1 victory over Southeastern on Tuesday night. The win marked the third in the all-time series against the Lions.
 
Sereniti Johnson paced the Lady Jaguars with 11 kills and four service aces, leading a trio of Southern players to reach double figures in kills. Making her season debut, Zaria Nelson added 10 kills and three blocks, while Mariah Mott also finished with 10 kills, hitting .238 for the match, and added two blocks.
 
Maleah Faust directed the Southern offense with 39 assists while contributing two kills and two digs. Najah Harris anchored the defensive effort with 18 digs, while Norielle Battle added six kills and three blocks. Paulina Agudelo Marin chipped in two kills and a team-high four blocks.
 
Johnson leads the Lady Jaguars with 34 kills on the season, followed by Mott with 26 and Agudelo Marin with 19. Faust and Penina Vito have shared setting responsibilities, recording 56 and 50 assists, respectively.
 
Harris leads Southern defensively with 51 digs and enters the weekend just 18 digs shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. Johnson ranks second on the team with 24 digs, while Agudelo Marin leads the Lady Jaguars with nine blocks. Six additional Southern players have recorded at least three blocks this season.

FOLLOW THE JAGUARS
For complete coverage of Southern University Athletics, please follow the Jaguars on social media at @SouthernUsports(Twitter), @SouthernUJaguars (Facebook), @southernusports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Southern University Athletics at www.gojagsports.com

#GoJags   #SouthernIsTheStandard   #ProwlOn   #BeyondTheStandard