BEAUMONT, Texas – Junior Kaitlyn Gil recorded 21 kills while sophomore Amber Johnson added 15, but Lamar University struggled on the opening day of the Southern Miss Invitational Friday dropping three-set matches to Chattanooga, 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-19), and USM, 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-15).
 
The first match was heartbreaking as LU had its chances in all three sets but couldn't quite get over the hump. The second set saw the Cardinals with two set points leading 24-22 only to watch Chattanooga rally to take five of the next six points for the victory. The third set saw Big Red forced to rally late only to come up short.
 
The Cardinals hit .242 after the first set but struggled to maintain that effort  throughout finishing the match 40-22-117 (.154), while the Mocs ended the day with a .229 attack percentage.
 
The second match saw tournament-host Southern Miss record a .394 attack percentage on their way to victory. The Golden Eagles were strong defensively managing to dig up 48 attacks from LU swings.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday to close out the invitational against Eastern Kentucky. The match against the Colonels will begin at 11 a.m.