HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team closes out a two-match homestand on Thursday when it faces in-state rival Southern University in a 7 p.m. match at the University Center.

Admission is free. Live statistics will be available at www.LionSports.net.

Southeastern (7-6) opens up a busy weekend where it will play four matches in the next three days. After facing Southern (2-3), Southeastern will compete in the Nicholls Challenge and will open Southland Conference play at Nicholls on Friday at 7 p.m. before facing Louisiana Tech and Houston on Saturday.

The Lady Lions, who opened their season with a 12-match roadtrip, dropped a three-set match against South Alabama in their home opener on Tuesday despite a season-high 15 kills from Allison Jones (one off her career high) and a season-high 12 kills from Taylor Buckner.

Jones leads Southeastern at the net averaging 2.66 kills per set while Courtney Donald is next at 2.10. Buckner has averaged 1.88 kills per set this season while freshman Cherish Krohn (1.79), Paige Dollison (1.53) and freshman Stephanie Mueller (1.46) are next.

Mueller leads Southeastern in hitting percentage (.222) with Donald hitting at .208 and Jones .206. Arianne Cruckshank is ninth in the Southland Conference with 7.81 assists per set with freshman Lindsey Young 12th in the league at 6.76.

Defensively, Southeastern is fourth in the Southland Conference in digs (14.65 per set) with Chelsea Barr leading the team and ranking seventh among league players with 3.74. Alex Greer, who is 20 digs shy of becoming the 10th player in school history with 1,000 digs, is 11th in the league with 3.14.

Southern (2-4) dropped two of three matches last weekend in Nicholls Invitational falling to host Nicholls and South Alabama while earning a three-set win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Jaquincia Williams leads the Lady Jags with 3.25 kills per set while hitting .292 at the net while Benoka Savoy is next in kills at 2.69.

Lourena Beathely leads Southern in digs at 3.69 per set with Chanda Journet (5.27) and Megan Gauthier (5.13) pacing the team in assists.

Southeastern leads the all-time series between the schools, 29-13, including a three-set win (a 25-15, 25-20, 25-16) in last season's match in Baton Rouge behind 11 kills and 10 digs from Buckner.