Box Score Box Score
HAMMOND – Allison Jones and
Taylor Buckner pounded out a match-high 19 kills each while
Arianne Cruckshank recorded seven of her match-high 51 assists in the deciding fifth set as Southeastern Louisiana held off Southland Conference rival McNeese State in a five-set thriller (25-19, 25-17, 24-26, 19-25, 15-10) Thursday at the University Center.
Freshman
Stephanie Mueller added 11 kills for Southeastern (9-9, 1-1 Southland) while
Chelsea Barr added 10 digs in helping the Lady Lions snap a three-match losing skid.
The meeting between Southeastern and McNeese State (5-10, 0-2 Southland) was the first between the schools since last season's finale in which the Lady Lions rallied from a two-set deficit to win a five-set contest and advance to the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time since 2002.
After Southeastern claimed the first two sets behind solid hitting and five service aces, a five-set repeat looked impossible. But McNeese State avoided a sweep in the third set behind the hitting of Erin Huckaby before Regina Trapp and Priscilla Massengale helped the Cowgirls forge a fifth and deciding set.
Southeastern opened the fifth set with a 3-0 lead behind the serve of Cruckshank, who posted a double-double with 51 assists and 20 digs, while serving three straight aces that closed out the second set. Jones opened the fifth set with a kill before two straight attack errors by the Cowgirls gave Southeastern an early lead.
McNeese State chipped away at the lead in the final set, knotting the score twice on Southeastern errors, but a kill by Mueller gave the Lady Lions a 7-6 lead they would not relinquish.
A block by Cruckshank and freshman
Kinsey Williams put Southeastern ahead, 11-7, forcing the Cowgirls to call a timeout. McNeese State responded out of the break with a kill and service ace by Trapp before Williams added a kill for Southeastern and a 12-9 advantage.
After McNeese State closed to within 13-10, Jones stopped the rally for the Lady Lions with a kills and Cruckshank followed with her fourth ace to close out the match.
Both teams came out with solid hitting percentages as Southeastern hit .483 with McNeese State posting a .258 percentage. The Lady Lions kept up their solid hitting in the second set, posting a .364 average and hit .206 in the third.
Courtney Donald had five blocks to lead Southeastern, which collected eight blocks as a team and held the Cowgirls to -.095 (5-7-21) in the final set.
Huckaby led McNeese State with 18 kills and a solid .441 hitting percentage. Massengale added 11 kills and 11 digs for the Cowgirls while Becky Bekelja added 38 assists and Katie Kennedy 20 digs.
Southeastern will return to action on Saturday when it plays host to Southland Conference rival Lamar in a 1 p.m. contest. Admission is free.
Southeastern La. def. McNeese State 25-19, 25-17, 24-26, 19-25, 15-10
McNeese State (5-10, 0-2 Southland) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Huckabay 18-0-2; Massengale 11-0-1; Williams 7-0-0; Trapp 7-1-1; Bustamento 6-0-1; Bowden 4-1-1; Kracl 3-0-1; Bekelja 2-0-0; Kennedy 1-0-0; Totals 59-2-5.0. (Assists) – Bekelja 38; Kracl 11. (Dig leaders) – Kennedy 20; Massengale 11; Ellisor 8.
Southeastern La. (9-9, 1-1 Southland) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Jones 19-0-1; Buckner 19-0-1; Mueller 11-0-3; Donald 5-0-5; Cruckshank 4-4-2; Williams 3-0-3; Dollison 1-1-0; Cheeks 1-0-0; Raymond 0-1-0; Barr 0-1-0; Totals 63-7-8.0. (Assists) – Cruckshank 51. (Dig leaders) – Cruckshank 20; Barr 10.
