Box Score HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Najah Harris reached the 1,000-career-dig milestone Friday as the Southern volleyball team opened the Southern Miss Invitational with a pair of matches at the Southern Miss Wellness Center.
 
The Lady Jaguars fell to Lamar, 3-0, in their opening match before dropping a 3-1 decision to Houston Christian in the afternoon.
 
Lamar 3, Southern 0 (25-12, 26-24, 25-17)
Southern opened Friday's action against Lamar, falling 3-0 in its first match of the Southern Miss Invitational.
 
Mariah Mott led the Lady Jaguars with nine kills and five blocks, while Paulina Agudelo Marin finished with seven kills. Sereniti Johnson added six kills, and Harris paced the Southern defense with 16 digs.
 
Lamar jumped out to an early lead in the opening set and used a strong offensive performance to pull away for a 25-12 victory. Southern recorded six kills in the frame, with Mott collecting two, while the Cardinals hit .400 as a team.
 
The Lady Jaguars responded with a much stronger effort in the second set. Southern trailed 17-12 before mounting a rally to tie the score at 18-18. The teams continued to battle down the stretch, with Southern tying the score at 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.
 
Mott helped lead the comeback with five kills in the set, while Johnson added five and Agudelo Marin recorded three. Lamar, however, scored the final two points to claim a 26-24 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Southern opened the third set with a 4-1 advantage, but Lamar quickly responded and eventually took control. The Lady Jaguars remained within striking distance midway through the frame before the Cardinals pulled away for a 25-17 victory to complete the sweep.
 
Mott finished the match hitting .333, while Agudelo Marin posted a .312 hitting percentage. Maleah Faust led Southern with 13 assists, and Penina Vito added nine.
 
Houston Christian 3, Southern 1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 27-25)
Southern closed the day against Houston Christian, opening the match with a first-set victory before the Huskies rallied to claim a 3-1 win.
 
Mott led the Lady Jaguars with 15 kills, while Johnson added nine and Agudelo Marin finished with seven. Harris posted a match-high 21 digs to reach the 1,000-dig milestone, while Faust and Vito combined for 37 assists.
 
The Lady Jaguars came out strong in the opening set, using a balanced offensive attack to take a 25-21 victory. Southern hit .355 in the frame, recording 14 kills against just three errors.
 
After Houston Christian took an early 3-2 lead, Southern responded with three consecutive points to move ahead 5-3. The Lady Jaguars continued to build their advantage, leading by as many as seven points at 15-8 before holding off the Huskies down the stretch. Johnson, Mott and Battle each recorded four kills in the set.
 
Houston Christian answered in the second set, taking an early lead and pulling away for a 25-15 victory to even the match. Mott led Southern with five kills in the frame.
 
The Huskies carried the momentum into the third set, building a 7-1 advantage before Southern fought back to cut the deficit to one at 7-6. Houston Christian regained control, however, and claimed the set 25-18 to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Southern battled throughout a tightly contested fourth set in an attempt to force a decisive fifth frame. The Lady Jaguars erased an early deficit and eventually tied the score at 16-16 before the teams continued to trade points late.
 
Trailing 23-21, Southern rallied behind a Houston Christian attack error and a kill by Logan Hart to tie the score at 23-23. After the Huskies moved ahead 24-23, Southern answered with a kill by Nyla Hoult to even the score at 24-24.
 
The teams traded points again before Houston Christian scored the final two points to secure a 27-25 victory and the match.
 
The Lady Jaguars finished with 47 kills and six team blocks. Mott posted 15 kills and three blocks, while Harris anchored the defense with 21 digs.
 
UP NEXT
Southern concludes the Southern Miss Invitational Saturday against host Southern Miss at noon. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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