HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana won a marathon set but dropped a grinding Southland Conference match to Houston Baptist, 25-22, 32-34, 25-22, 25-13, Saturday at the University Center.
 
The Lady Lions (2-24, 1-12 Southland) had set point at 24-21 in the second before HBU (14-14, 7-7 Southland) scored four-straight points to take the lead. The two teams continued to trade the lead – 9 times in the set, dealing with 17 ties – before Southeastern outlasted the Huskies to even up the match.
 
After an exhausting second set, HBU jumped out to a 10-2 advantage in the third. Southeastern came roaring back with a 13-2 run to take the lead before running out of gas.
 
Elyssa Purcell, a redshirt junior from Alvin, Texas, led the Lady Lions' offensive attack, picking up eight of her season-high 15 kills in the second set. Jodi Edo, a junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, added 11 kills.
 
Michelle Mirarchi dished out a team-leading 24 assists and served up a pair of aces. Haley Baker, a senior from Elkton, Maryland, handed out 19 assists and added an ace to her performance on Senior Day.
 
Sam Gomez, a sophomore from Mandeville, Louisiana, had a hand in seven of the Lady Lions' 10 blocks, including five solo. Both totals are career bests for Gomez.
 
Southeastern libero Lexie Torres, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, led all players with a career-high 27 digs.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions finish out the season with three matches on the road, including trips Tuesday to Northwestern State, Thursday to McNeese and Saturday to Lamar.
 
DIGGIN' IT CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern volleyball program are encouraged to join the Diggin' It Club. Lion volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diggin' It Club and S Club (volleyball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @SLU_VBall on Twitter, @Southeastern_vb on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.