HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana volleyball program, after multiple delays, opens its 2020-21 season with three matches in a two-day span, competing in a single match Thursday at Tulane and a pair of matches Friday at Southern Miss.
 
Thursday's season-opening match against the Green Wave (2-0) is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Hertz Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Matches against the Golden Eagles (3-1) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi are slated for 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday. None of the three matches are open to the general public. Live stat links are available on the volleyball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
"We're really excited," head coach Jeremy White said. "The players have been waiting a long time to get some real volleyball going again and face off against someone other than their teammates."
 
Last season Southeastern defeated the Green Wave (22-11 in 2019) in five sets, 21-25, 25-23, 20-25, 30-28, 15-12, in New Orleans. It was the first win for White at the helm of the program and the Lady Lions knocked off a Tulane squad that had advanced to the finals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championships the previous season before finishing with a 29-9 overall record in 2018.
 
In his first season at the Division I level, White took a team picked to finish dead last in the 2019 Southland Conference preseason poll and brought it back to the conference tournament for the first time in three seasons.
 
The Lady Lions (14-17, 8-8 Southland) wrapped up the 2019 regular season with the nation's third-largest improvement in wins, going from a pair of victories in 2018 to 14 this past season. He also led Southeastern to its most overall wins since the 2004 season and most conference wins since 2014.
 
With the improvement comes upgraded public expectations. Fellow Southland Conference coaches and Sports Information Directors voted Southeastern seventh in the conference preseason poll, tabbing the Lady Lions as a clear tournament-caliber team.
 
The Lady Lions return nine letterwinners off last season's squad, including three starters and a libero. A redshirt joins nine newcomers, including a pair of transfers, in the mix for playing time this coming season.
 
Karlee Wilkerson and Preseason All-Conference performer Sam Gomez formed a key part of a Lady Lions squad that ranked third in the Southland last season with an average of 2.01 blocks per set and fifth with a .210 attack percentage, a 70-point improvement over the previous season and the program's highest attack percentage in more than a decade.
 
Gomez, a senior from Mandeville, Louisiana, ranked second on the squad with both a .268 attack percentage and 86.0 total blocks (0.76 per set) along with finishing third in kills (258 total, 2.28 per set) and points (325.0 total, 2.88 per set).
 
Wilkerson, a junior from Springfield, Louisiana, ranked third in attack percentage (.189) and blocks (78 total, 0.71 per set) along with fourth in both total kills (210, 1.91 per set) and points (255.0 total, 2.32 per set).
 
Other returners also seeing significant time on the court last season for the Lady Lions were sophomore outside hitter Jolie Hidalgo (171.0 total points), senior outside hitter Ryan Maddera (149.5 total points) and sophomore defensive specialist/libero Lizzy Low (300 total digs, 2.94 digs per set).
 
"These matches are about getting to face someone else, but it's not a situation of knocking off some rust," White said. "We set our fall up to compete. I think this is about getting a lineup together and finding some cohesion before we kick off conference play."
 
Tulane is led on offense by Lexie Douglas (3.81 points/set), Kayla Dinkins (2.75 p/set), Yvette Burcescu (2.56 p/set), Makenzie Martin (2.43 p/set) and Markenzie Benoit (2.38 p/set). Setting duties have been split by Amanda Giardina (5.75 assists/set) and Jenna Ibieta (3.83 a/set).
 
Benoit (1.25 blocks/set) and Dinkins (1.13 b/set) are the Green Wave's top blockers while Makala Heidelberg (5.50 digs/set) and Martin (3.57 d/set) are the top defenders across the back line.
 
Southern Miss picked up a pair of nonconference wins in the fall against fellow Conference USA member Louisiana Tech, a future opponent of the Lady Lions. This spring, the Golden Eagles have split a pair of matches in Hattiesburg. Tulane defeated Southern Miss in straight sets this past Friday before the Golden Eagles rebounded Saturday to sweep fellow Southland foe New Orleans.
 
Duquesne Moratzka (4.04 p/set), Kinsley Hanback (3.29 p/set), Lauren Talbert (3.04 p/set) and Nyanuer Bidit (2.61 p/set) are Southern Miss' top attackers. Piper Matsumo (16.75 a/set) and Kenzie Smith (8.00 a/set) have split setting duties so far this season.
 
Bidit (0.93 b/set) and Hanback (0.57 b/set) are the Golden Eagles' top blockers while Matsumo (5.50 d/set), Madison Lawler (4.21 d/set) and Talbert (3.21 d/set) are the top defenders across the back line.
 
UP NEXT
After opening up the season at Tulane and Southern Miss, Southeastern jumps right into conference play with a pair of road matches at McNeese, Feb. 4, and Lamar, Feb. 5. The home opener is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 9 in the University Center against in-state rival Nicholls.
 
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.
 
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 @LionUpVB or @JWhiteSLU on Twitter, @LionUpVB on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.