HAMMOND, La. – The defending Southland Conference Champion Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team wraps up its month-long road trip this weekend with the start of the main thrust of the Southland Conference schedule, opening with Incarnate Word on Thursday night and wrapping up with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon.
 
Thursday's match against Incarnate Word starts at 6:00 p.m. in the McDermott Center while Saturday's match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi starts at 12:00 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center. Both matches will be live streamed on ESPN+ with live stats also available.
 
Southeastern (9-4, 0-1 SLC) is looking to use this weekend to get above .500 in the conference standings after dropping its SLC opener to Northwestern State last Thursday, though the Lady Lions finished the weekend strong, winning their remaining three matches in Natchitoches following that match against NSU. SLU brings a three-match win streak into this week while also having won eight of the last 10 matches overall.
 
Kailin Newsome continues to lead the SLU attack, averaging 3.76 points per set on 3.41 kills per set and has 13 service aces on the season, topping the team in all three of those statistical categories. Jacqueline Arrington is coming off one of her more successful weekends where she had a .500 hitting percentage against Louisiana-Monroe, 11 kills-1 error-20 total attacks, and a .923 hitting percentage against Louisiana Tech, 12 kills-0 errors-13 total attempts. Arrington's .347 hitting percentage on the year is the highest on the team among all players with at least 100 total attacks while she also leads the team in blocking with 49 total blocks, 12 solo and 37 assisted, on the season. Cicily Hidalgo averages 3.13 points per set while putting down 2.73 kills per set, has 10 aces, and 12 total blocks, three solo and nine assisted. Rachel Hartmann is also averaging more than three points per set at 3.03, getting 2.54 kills per set along with a team best-tying 13 service aces to go with 22 total blocks, one solo and 21 assisted. Hannah Brewer also had 13 service aces on the year.
 
Thursday's match against Incarnate Word will feature familiar faces on opposing sidelines. Cardinals first year head coach Gabby Ording was a SLU assistant coach during head coach Jeremy White's first four seasons in Hammond and has UIW already past their 2022 win total of six before the start of conference play, starting her head coaching tenure with four-straight wins before splitting the team's last eight matches. Meanwhile, Arrington, the Lady Lion senior middle hitter, was one of UIW's top players for her first three collegiate seasons, having led the Cardinals in blocks each of the previous two years.
 
The Cardinals (8-4, 0-0 SLC) are led by Allison Palmi who is averaging 3.29 points per set with 3.07 kills per set on a .202 hitting percentage and has 13 blocks on the year. Kyla Malone scores 3.26 points per set, averaging 2.79 kills per set with 11 service aces and 17 total blocks. Annamarie Alvarez averages 2.12 kills per set on a team-best .465 attack percentage. Alvarez,32, Kade Thomas, 36, and Risa Sena all have 20 or more total blocks on the season. Natalie Kimmel leads the Cardinals in service aces with 14.
 
Saturday, the Lady Lions face a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team that is entering this week looking to end a five-match slide. The Islanders (5-7, 0-0 SLC) dropped their first match of the season but then won four straight and five of six before their current losing streak began.
 
Kyndal Payne leads A&M-Corpus Christi by scoring 4.02 points per set, getting 3.53 kills per set on a .271 attack percentage with seven service aces and a team-leading 19 total blocks. Leah Stolfus averages 2.84 points per set with 2.51 kills per set on a team-best .314 attack percentage six aces, and 12 total blocks. Kayla White is their top server with 11 service aces on the year. Tori Arrington has 15 total blocks, Belle Morgan has 14, and Tayah Little has 13 as the Islanders spread around the blocking chores.
 
Both matches this weekend will be live streamed on ESPN+ and will have live stats available.
 
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.