HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball program faces an intriguing schedule this fall, hosting its own tournament during the regular season and the Southland Conference Tournament during the postseason.
 
"We're pretty excited," head coach Jeremy White said. "We wanted to make sure we challenged ourselves after a good season. We have some great student-athletes coming in and wanted to make sure we capitalized on that."
 
Returning to fall competition, SLU is slated to host 11 regular-season home matches plus the Southeastern Showdown and conference tournament.
 
One season after producing the third-largest turnaround in Division I, White helped guide the Lady Lions (11-5, 9-3 Southland) to their first winning season in nearly two decades this spring. Along the way, SLU generated the program's highest seed in the history of the Southland Tournament and White was named the conference's Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year.
 
After a preseason that includes the annual Green and Gold match, Aug. 19, in the University Center, the Lady Lions open up the regular season against Gonzaga (Aug. 27) and host Mississippi State (Aug. 28) at the StarkVegas Classic in Starkville, Mississippi.
 
SLU returns home, Sept. 3-4, to host Auburn, Cal State Fullerton and Southern in the Southeastern Showdown. A pair of non-conference matches, as well as tournaments at New Mexico and South Dakota State, round out the pre-Southland slate.
 
"Getting out to New Mexico also helps put our name out in the western part of Texas as well as Nevada, Colorado and Arizona," White said. "There are also a lot of really good athletes playing volleyball in the northern Midwest and these tournaments will give them a chance to see us."
 
The Lady Lions will play 14 conference matches this season, matching up for a home-and-home with each Southland school. All eight will qualify for the postseason tournament to be held, Nov. 17-20, in Hammond.
 
 "With the adjustments to the conference schedule, we really wanted to put ourselves in a situation to play some tough opponents to prepare for Southland play," White said. "Our student-athletes want to experience different parts of the country when they're playing and see other opponents. It also preps us well as we push to become an NCAA Tournament team in the next few years."
 
All SLU home matches this season, in addition to every match in the conference tournament, are slated for coverage on ESPN+.
 
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.