FOLEY, Ala. – Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Troy and Marshall collected wins to earn spots in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Sun Belt Volleyball Championship on Thursday at the Foley Events Center.

  Quarterfinal action will take place Friday with four matches beginning at 11 a.m. CT. All four contests will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

  Match 3: (3E) Georgia Southern 3, (6W) Arkansas State 1 | Box Score | Photo Gallery

  Georgia Southern outside hitter Reagan Barth tallied 16 kills and 15 digs alongside outside hitter Jillian Gray’s 17 kills and .405 hitting percentage to help lift the Eagles to a 3-1 win (25-27, 29-27, 25-20, 25-22) over Arkansas State in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

  The No. 3 seed out of the SBC East, Georgia Southern (21-7) advances to meet South Alabama, the No. 2 seed in the West, on Friday at 11 a.m.

  The Eagles have now won their first match in the Sun Belt Conference Championship in four-straight seasons.

  Arkansas State (16-14) jumped out to an early advantage by claiming the first set via tiebreaker and built a commanding 18-9 lead in the second frame. However, Georgia Southern responded with an 11-2 scoring run to draw even at 20 before winning the set in a tiebreaker and claiming the subsequent two games to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals.

  Arkansas State was led by outside hitter Kaitlin Whitlock’s 16 kills and 10 digs, while outside hitter Ilayda Dincer contributed 13 kills and 13 digs. Setter Erin Madigan also compiled 48 assists and 15 digs.

  Match 4: (4W) Louisiana 3, (5E) Old Dominion 0 | Box Score | Photo Gallery

  Louisiana benefitted from 18 kills, four blocks and a .424 hitting percentage from opposite hitter Celeste Darling as outside hitter Shyia Richardson posted a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs to lift the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 3-0 shutout (25-14, 25-16, 27-25) victory over Old Dominion in the Sun Belt Conference Championship’s second round.

  The No. 4 seed out of the SBC West, Louisiana (19-14) advances to challenge Coastal Carolina, the top seed in the East, on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT.

  Mio Yamamoto, the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Libero of the Year, led all players with 21 digs to notch her ninth match this season where she recorded at least 20.

  Louisiana held the momentum in the first two sets, but Old Dominion (14-17) fought back in the third by opening up a six-point lead on two occasions at 20-14 and 22-16. The Ragin’ Cajuns found a spark following their second deficit of a half dozen with eight-consecutive points to force match point. The Monarchs earned the next three points, but Louisiana took three-straight from that moment to clinch the match.

  Old Dominion right-side hitter and 2023 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection Myah Conway compiled 12 kills, 11 digs and three blocks.

  Match 5: (3W) Troy 3, (6E) App State 0 | Box Score | Photo Gallery

  Troy used outsider hitter and 2023 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection Tori Hester’s 17 kills, 11 digs and a .519 hitting percentage to blank Appalachian State in a 3-0 shutout (25-19, 25-21, 25-16), in the Sun Belt Conference Championship’s second round.

  The No. 3 seed out of the SBC West, Troy (15-12) advances to face James Madison, the No. 2 seed in the East, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT.

  The Trojans also received big contributions courtesy of 13 kills from outsider hitter Amiah Butler as well as 30 assists and five blocks by setter and Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference pick Janelle Stuempfig.

  App State (14-15) was led by middle blocker Maya Winterhoff’s six kills and five blocks to complement a .455 hitting percentage.

  Match 6: (4E) Marshall 3, (5W) Southern Miss 2 | Box Score | Photo Gallery

  Marshall clawed its way to a 2-0 lead before holding on for a five-set victory to defeat Southern Miss, 3-2 (25-23, 26-24, 15-25, 23-25, 15-11), in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

  The No. 4 seed out of the SBC East, Marshall (13-18) advances to face Texas State, the No. 1 seed in the West, on Friday at 7 p.m. CT.

  The Thundering Herd were led by setter Brynn Brown’s triple-double comprised of 38 assists, 10 kills, and 12 digs, while opposite hitter Olivia Fogo registered 15 kills, five digs and a pair of blocks. Middle blocker Lydia Montague led all players with nine blocks, and libero Peyton Neal tallied 30 digs.

  Southern Miss (12-16) positioned itself nicely with a 23-20 lead in each of the first two sets, but Marshall counterpunched to win both frames. With their backs against the wall, the Golden Eagles won the next two games to force a fifth set. Despite trailing, 6-3, in the final set, the Herd responded to win eight of the next 10 points to take a lead they wouldn’t surrender before closing out the match.

  The Golden Eagles were led by outside hitter and 2023 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection Mia Wesley’s double-double of 31 kills and 15 digs. Wesley set a new Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament record for attempts with 88. The previous record of 76 had held since 1993. Middle blocker Cara Atkinson compiled 15 kills and seven blocks.

  2023 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Schedule and Results
November 15-19, 2023 | Foley, Ala. | Foley Sports Tourism Complex

  First Round – Wednesday, November 15
Match 1 – (6W) Arkansas State 3, (7E) Georgia State 1
Match 2 – (6E) App State 3, (7W) ULM 0

  Second Round – Thursday, November 16
Match 3 – (3E) Georgia Southern 3, (6W) Arkansas State 1
Match 4 – (4W) Louisiana 3, (5E) Old Dominion 0
Match 5 – (3W) Troy 3, (6E) App State 0
Match 6 – (4E) Marshall 3, (5W) Southern Miss 2

  Quarterfinals – Friday, November 17
Match 7 – 11:00 a.m. CT – (2W) South Alabama vs. (3E) Georgia Southern [ESPN+]
Match 8 – 1:30 p.m. CT – (1E) Coastal Carolina vs. (4W) Louisiana [ESPN+]
Match 9 – 4:30 p.m. CT – (2E) James Madison vs. (3W) Troy [ESPN+]
Match 10 – 7:00 p.m. CT – (1W) Texas State vs. (4E) Marshall [ESPN+]

  Semifinals – Saturday, November 18
Match 11 – 2:00 p.m. CT – Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8 [ESPN+]
Match 12 – 5:00 p.m. CT – Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10 [ESPN+]

  Championship – Sunday, November 19
Match 13 – 3:00 p.m. CT – Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 12 [ESPN+]