FOLEY, Ala. – Emily Jarome collected 16 kills, eight digs and six blocks to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 25-11) volleyball win over Southern Miss in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Thursday evening in the Foley Sports Complex.

The Eagles advance to the quarterfinal round to face regular-season champion and top seed James Madison Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Eagles of the Match
Jarome hit .310, while Paige Powers hit .361 with 14 kills, five digs and two blocks. Jordan Christy tallied 12 kills and four blocks and hit .286. Callaway Cason totaled 43 assists, eight digs and four blocks, and Ashlyn Lovett finished with a match-high 23 digs.

Key Moments
Southern Miss (18-11) led 20-19 after a four-point run in the first set, but Georgia Southern (16-11) scored four of the next five to open a 23-21 lead. Jarome put down a kill to make it set point, and after Southern Miss scored a point on a kill by Nyanuer Bidit, Jarome put down another ball to end the set.

Southern Miss erased a seven-point deficit late in the second set and opened a 22-21 lead on an attack error by Georgia Southern. Jordan Christy hit a cross-court kill to halt the run, and Baylor Bumford (6 kills, 5 blocks) followed it with a block for set point. After Southern Miss scored two in a row, Powers crushed a ball down as the Eagles opened a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Eagles led 13-3 early in the fourth set and at one point recorded blocks on three consecutive points to open a 24-10 cushion. 

Key Stats and notes
- Georgia Southern registered a season-high 16.5 blocks and held Southern Miss to .118 hitting. The Eagles have reached double figures in team blocks in each of the last four matches.
- Jarome's six blocks matched her career high, and Powers' 14 kills were on shy of her career high.
- Georgia Southern improved to 3-4 all-time in the Sun Belt Tourney and 3-2 in Foley. All three wins have come under head coach Chad Willis.

Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
"Survive and advance! What an effort on both sides of the ball. I'm really proud of our team for staying dialed into the game plan - especially after dropping the third set - and the energy we played with throughout the fourth set was contagious!"

Next up
The Eagles advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on regular-season champion James Madison Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.