HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana volleyball team will be back in action this week, hosting a pair of Southland Conference opponents in the University Center.

The Lady Lions (10-15, 1-7 Southland) open the week's action on Thursday at 7 p.m., welcoming Nicholls (11-10, 3-5 Southland). On Saturday, Sam Houston State (10-13, 4-4 Southland) visits for a 1 p.m. match. Thursday's match will be televised on a tape-delayed basis by the Southeastern Channel (Charter Channel 18 in the Hammond area.). Admission is free for both matches and live stats will be available at www.LionSports.net.

Southeastern will be looking to get back into the Southland Conference Tournament race and snap a three-match losing streak. In their latest outing, the Lady Lions dropped a 25-21, 25-15, 25-21 decision to A&M-Corpus Christi, despite 11 kills from sophomore Courtney Donald.

Senior Allison Jones leads the team with 2.37 kills per set, followed closely by Donald's 2.07 kill per set average. Freshman Cherish Krohn (1.88 kps), sophomore Taylor Buckner (1.86 kps), freshman Stephanie Mueller (1.46 kps), freshman Kinsey Williams (1.37 kps) and junior Paige Dollison (1.07 kps) are the other top attackers for the Lady Lions. Donald leads the team and ranks among the Southland leaders with a .237 hitting percentage.

Junior Arianne Cruckshank and freshman Lindsey Young average 7.58 and 7.74 assists per set, respectively, and have shared setting duties for the Lady Lions. Dollison leads the team with 22 service aces, followed by junior Chelsea Barr with 20.

Defensively, Donald leads the team with 55 blocks, followed by Dollison and Mueller with 25 apiece. Barr (2.99), senior Alex Greer (2.81), Young (1.98) and freshman Megan McMillin (1.98) are the teams dig per set leaders.

Nicholls' offensive attack is paced by sophomore Jennifer Brandt, who averages a team-high 2.99 kills per set. Other effective Colonel attackers are freshman Lauren Chapman (2.57 kps), sophomore Jessica Addicks (2.35 kps) and junior Rachel Yezek (2.14 kps). Junior Jordan Karst is the team's primary setter, averaging 8.62 assists per set.

Defensively, Nicholls junior Danielle Daigle leads the Southland with 5.74 digs per set. Addicks paces NSU with 66 blocks.

Southeastern will look to avoid a season sweep by the Colonels, as it was on the wrong end of a 25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 26-24 loss on Sept. 17 in Thibodaux. Donald had 14 kills, while Dollison chipped in with 10 winners in a losing effort.

On Saturday, Sam Houston State, which plays at Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday, comes to town. Junior Carli Kolbe leads the team and ranks third in the Southland Conference with 3.43 kills per set. Junior Kym Loving handles the setting duties for the Bearkats and is fourth in the league with 9.12 digs per set.

Sophomore Kaylee Hawkins leads SHSU with 3.96 digs per set. Junior Kim Black comes into Saturday's match with a team-high 95 blocks and 32 service aces.

Following this week's action, Southeastern will be on the road for its next four matches, starting with a 7 p.m. match at McNeese State on Thursday, Oct. 28.