CONWAY, Ark. – The No. 8-seeded Southeastern Louisiana volleyball team takes on the No. 1-seeded Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first found of the Southland Conference Tournament at 11 a.m. Friday at the University of Central Arkansas' Farris Center.

Southeastern (13-17, 7-9 Southland) is making its second-consecutive tournament appearance and will be searching for its first Southland tournament win. Last year, The Lady Lions fell to tournament runner-up Central Arkansas in the first round.

The Islanders (28-4, 16-0 Southland) finished the regular season undefeated in Southland play for the first time in program history. A&M-Corpus Christi tied an all-time program record by earning sweeps in nine of 16 conference matches this season. The Islanders earned their fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament. The last two years A&M-Corpus Christi has made it to the semifinals, only to fall to Central Arkansas.

Fans can watch the match live on the Southland Conference Digital Network or follow live statistics. Links for both are available on the volleyball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

Last time out Southeastern held off Central Arkansas, for the first time in school history, for a five-set Southland Conference win, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 10-25, 16-14, at the University Center. It also gave the Lady Lions their most overall wins since the 2004 season.

All-Southland honoree Landry Bullock (3.04 kills per set), Sarah Friedman (2.38 k/set) and Parrie Hartley (2.07 k/set) pace the Lady Lion offense this season under the direction of Mikayla Shippy (6.53 assists per set) and Haley Baker (5.76 a/set). Bullock ranks 10th in the conference in kills. Freshman Monica Ramon leads the team with 34 service aces.

Brooke Balser (3.45 d/set), Ramon (3.02 digs per set) and Madi Odom (2.23 d/set) anchor the back row defensively. Balser ranks 10th in the conference in digs. Veronica Turk (0.74 b/set) and Rachael Bunn (0.57 b/set) lead Southeastern's front-line defensive effort.

A&M-Corpus Christi's last loss was Sept. 18, against Louisiana Tech, in the first of two matches it played that day at the UCA Volleyball Crain Automotive Invitational in Conway.

The Islanders are led by All-Southland first teamers Ivy Baresh (3.39 k/set, 3.09 d/set), Brittany Gilpin (2.45 k/set, 0.76 b/set), Kate Klepetka (6.10 d/set) and Kristyn Nicholson (10.88 a/set, 2.50 d/set).

Klepteka is the Southland Conference Libero of the Year and Nicholson is setter of the year.

The rest of the opening day schedule features No. 5-seeded New Orleans vs. No. 4-seeded McNeese State at 1:30 p.m., No. 6-seeded Houston Baptist vs. No. 3-seeded Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. and No. 7-seeded Sam Houston State vs. No. 2-seeded Central Arkansas at 6:30 p.m.

Winners of the first two matches will play Saturday, Nov. 21 at noon while the winners of the last two will play at 2:30 p.m. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament will conclude with the championship match Sunday, Nov. 22 at 3:05 p.m.

Last year, Northwestern State swept Central Arkansas to win the tournament title.

Championship match on ESPN3, early rounds on Southland Digital Network
The championship match will be available exclusively on ESPN3 with Lincoln Rose and Brooke Bentley on the call. ESPN3 is available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. In addition, all quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be streamed live on the Southland Conference Digital Network, available at Southland.org/watch and on the league's mobile and tablet apps. Greg Miller and Chris Mycoskie will handle play-by-play duties for the quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

Tickets Available for Southland Volleyball Tournament
Tickets are available through the Central Arkansas ticket office.
All-Tournament Pass: $20
All-Tournament Pass, Youth (under 18): $10
Single-Day Pass: $10
Single-Day Pass, Youth: $5
Southland Student (with ID): Free
Children 3 and Under: Free

NCAA Tournament Berth
The winner of the Southland Conference Tournament earns an automatic bid to the first round of the NCAA tournament held at regional sites Dec. 13-14. The 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament bracket will be announced on ESPNU Sunday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. CT.


TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals (Friday, Nov. 20, 2015):
Southland Digital Network or the Southland Conference app
11 a.m. - No. 8 seed - Southeastern Louisiana (SLU) vs. No. 1 seed - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (AMCC)
1:30 p.m. - No. 5 seed - New Orleans (UNO) vs. No. 4 seed - McNeese State (MSU)
4 p.m. - No. 6 seed - Houston Baptist (HBU) vs. No. 3 seed - Stephen F. Austin (SFA)
6:30 p.m. - No. 7 seed - Sam Houston State (SHSU) vs. No. 2 seed - Central Arkansas (UCA)

Semifinals (Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015):
Southland Digital Network or the Southland Conference app
12 p.m. - SLU-AMCC Winner vs. UNO-MSU Winner
2:30 p.m. - HBU-SFA Winner vs. SHSU-UCA Winner

Championship (Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015):
ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app
3 p.m. - Semifinal winners