BEAUMONT, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team opened the 2022 season with a pair of victories Friday afternoon on the opening day of the Katrinka Crawford Invitational at McDonald Gym.
Southeastern (2-0) began the day with a 3-1 victory over Tulane (0-1), rallying past the Green Wave, 21-25, 26-24, 25-16, 25-22. In the nightcap, SLU swept past Prairie View (0-2), 26-24, 25-10, 25-22.
Cicily Hidalgo (16 kills, 14 digs) and
Gracie Duplechein (21 assists, 11 digs) each posted double-doubles for Southeastern in the opener.
Kailin Newsome led SLU with 16 digs, while Hidalgo and
Hannah Brewer shared team-high honors with four blocks.
Hidalgo hit a blistering .412 in the win over Prairie View and led the Lady Lions with eight kills. Duplechein and
Peyton Stokley split setting duties finishing with 14 and 13 assists, respectively. Hidalgo and Tullis shared team-high honors with six digs, while
Crispin Adams paced Southeastern with five blocks.
Southeastern will close out the tournament Saturday with a 1 p.m. match versus Idaho State. Live stats, provided by Lamar, will be accessible on the volleyball schedule at
www.LionSports.net.
Match One – Southeastern 3, Tulane 1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-16, 25-22)
The Green Wave took the early advantage after a back-and-forth opening set that featured 13 ties and six lead changes. Wilkerson and Brewer combined for a block to knot the score at 21 before Tulane ripped off the final four points to take the opening set, 25-21.
The second set was just as competitive, but SLU hit .279 to even the match. The Lady Lions trailed 22-20, but Wilkerson posted four consecutive kills to give Southeastern the lead before a Stokley ace ended the set.
The third set was all Southeastern. SLU jumped out to an 8-2 lead and never looked back, holding Tulane to a .065 attack percentage on the way to taking set three, 25-16.
A Brewer ace capped a 7-1 SLU run to open the fourth set. Tulane would pull as close as 17-16, but after a timeout to regroup, the Lady Lions scored the next four points to stretch the lead to 21-16. Southeastern closed the match out with a Hidalgo kill moments later, giving SLU its third win over in-state foe Tulane under fourth-year head coach
Jeremy White.
Match Two – Southeastern 3, Prairie View 0
Neither team led by more than two throughout a competitive first set that featured 17 ties and 13 lead changes. Southeastern faced a set point down 24-23, but kills by Hidalgo and Wilkerson sandwiched a Prairie View error down the stretch, as the Lady Lions took a one-set advantage.
A .350 hitting percentage sparked a dominant second set for Southeastern. Seven Panther errors proved costly in a 25-10 set for the Lady Lions.
Prairie View knotted the score at 21-21 late in the third set, but SLU closed out the set and the match by scoring four of the final five points to complete the 3-0 victory.
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.
