HAMMOND, La. – The defending Southland Conference Champion Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team started its four-match homestand in emphatic fashion, holding Nicholls to a negative hitting percentage in all three sets to complete the season sweep of the Colonels 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-11) and extend its historic win streak out to 16 matches Thursday night at the Pride Roofing University Center.
Nicholls jumped out to its biggest lead of the night almost immediately as a kill and two straight service aces by the Colonels turned a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 Nicholls lead early in the first set.
Rachel Hartmann's kill on the next rally jump started the Southeastern offense as the Lady Lions (22-4, 13-1 SLC) scored the next eight points with Hartmann scoring an ace to make it 10-5 SLU. The Colonels got a kill to get one back, but that would not help much as a kill by
Cicily Hidalgo started another run of six-straight SLU points with
Jacqueline Arrington and
Gracie Duplechein combining to stuff back a Nicholls attack to put the Lady Lions up 16-6. Leading 18-9, another Hartmann kill started another run, this one 4-0, for SLU as
Kailin Newsome served up an ace to make it 22-9. Six rallies later, the first set ended on another kill by Hidalgo for the 25-12 score and a 1-0 Southeastern lead in the match.
Just like the first set, it was Nicholls who jumped out on top first, scoring on the opening rally of the second set, but SLU took no time to get a big lead built up as a kill by Newsome started a run of six-straight Lady Lions points, part of a bigger, 8-1 Southeastern run, as Arrington and Hartmann blocked back a Colonels attack for a 9-2 SLU lead. Leading 11-4, a kill by Hidalgo kicked off another push of six points in a row for the Lady Lions as a Newsome kill made it 17-4 to cap that run. After a quick kill by the Colonels gave them a point back, a kill by Arrington kicked off another 5-1 Southeastern push with a Colonel attack sailing beyond the court to put the SLU up 22-6. Seven rallies later,
Carissa Young got on the score sheet with a kill to end the second set at 25-10 and put the Lady Lions up 2-0 overall in the match.
Southeastern never trailed in the third set as kills by Hartmann and Hidalgo put SLU up 2-0. Leading 3-2, a Hidalgo kill was the first of five-straight Lady Lion points as a kill by Arrington made it 8-2 SLU. Nicholls mounted its biggest run of the match next though, scoring six in a row to tie the set up at 8-8 before a Colonel service error gave Southeastern the lead and the serve back. SLU took advantage of that mistake, scoring the next five points as Newsome put down a kill to make it 13-8 SLU. The Colonels tried to keep the Lady Lions close, battling even with Southeastern over the next six rallies as the score reached 16-11 Southeastern, but a Nicholls service error was it for the Colonels as SLU scored on the match's final nine rallies with Hidalgo and
India Bennett combining on a block on match point to secure the sweep and the win.
Newsome enjoyed a very efficient night on the attack, getting 12 kills on a .524 attack percentage and moved up to sixth on the SLU career kills list during the match. However, she had a career night at the service line, serving up a career single-match best seven service aces. She also added an assist and seven digs in the match. Hidalgo finished with nine kills on a .261 attack percentage with a block assist and nine digs. Hartmann finished with a .667 attack percentage as she finished with seven kills to go with two service aces, three block assists, and five digs.
Ansley Tullis had a match best 12 digs to go with three assists and a service ace. Duplechein moved up to sixth place on the Southeastern career assists list, finishing the night with 31 helpers on the evening while adding nine digs, a kill, and three block assists. Arrington finished with five kills and five block assists on the evening.
Southeastern finished the match with 38 kills and nine errors on 73 total attacks for a .397 attack percentage to go with 12 service aces and eight blocks on the night. Nicholls was held to 20 kills and committed 23 attack errors on 88 total attacks for a -.034 attack percentage, having more attack errors than kills in all three sets. The Colonels did collect three service aces and a block on the night.
The Lady Lions, having won 16-straight, now have a week to prepare for a huge home match next Thursday when Texas A&M-Corpus Christi comes to town for a battle at the very top of the Southland Conference standings. The Islanders (17-8, 12-1 SLC) have their own 11-match win streak currently active after knocking off Houston Christian in straight sets at home on Thursday night. Opening serve of the match between SLU and A&M-Corpus Christi is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 2
nd in the Pride Roofing University Center. The match will be live streamed on ESPN+ while a radio broadcast will be available on KSLU 90.9 FM in the Hammond/Ponchatoula area and worldwide at LionSports.net/ListenLive. Live stats will also be accessible through LionSports.net.
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.
