HAMMOND, La. – The defending Southland Conference Champion Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team makes its return home for the first time in a month for its Southland Conference home opener when New Orleans comes to the Pride Roofing University Center on Tuesday night to kick off a three-match week.
 
The match between Southeastern (11-4, 2-1 SLC) and UNO (2-11, 0-2 SLC) is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Pride Roofing University Center. It will be streamed live on ESPN+ with a radio broadcast also available in the Hammond/Ponchatoula area on KSLU 90.9 FM or worldwide at LionSports.net/ListenLive.
 
The Lady Lions are looking to extend their longest win streak of the season, currently sitting at five matches, having won 15 straight sets dating back to their Battle for the Boot match against Louisiana-Monroe. SLU now leads the conference in points per set, 16.73, hitting percentage, .251, and assists per set, 12.36.
 
Kailin Newsome is coming off a weekend where she accounted for 5.25 points per set and 4.83 kills per set on her way to her second SLC Offensive Player of the Week award of 2023 and the eighth SLC Player of the Week award of her career. Her 3.56 kills per set is currently the best in the conference while her 3.92 points per set is second best in the SLC, just 0.02 PTS/S behind the leader. She also has a team high-tying 14 service aces on the season.
 
Cicily Hidalgo, who had 14 kills on a .406 hitting percentage in Saturday's sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, is now averaging 2.76 kills and 3.19 points per set while hitting .285 for the season. She has 12 service aces and currently averages 2.86 digs per set.
 
Rachel Hartmann is hitting .284 for the Lady Lions while averaging 2.61 kills per set on her way to 3.14 points per set while also getting 1.14 assists per set and has the team co-lead with service aces at 14. She also accounts for 2.21 digs per set and is second on the team with 30 total blocks on the year, two solo and 28 assisted.
 
Jacqueline Arrington gets 1.89 kills per set on a team-best .341 attack percentage, but she gets most of her work done at the net where she leads the team with 61 total blocks on the year, 14 solo and 47 assisted.
 
Among the other stat leads for SLU, Hannah Brewer has 14 aces as well for a three-way tie atop that category. Ansley Tullis leads Southeastern by averaging 3.40 digs per set.
 
The Privateers come to Hammond on Tuesday looking to end a season-worst six-match slide, having dropped the last 12 straight sets, which includes straight-sets losses at home to Northwestern State and McNeese on the road to open SLC play last week.
 
New Orleans is led by Karen Cardero Barr, who is averaging 3.36 points per set with a team-best 2.93 kills per set on a .190 attack percentage. Her 12 service aces are second-most on the squad. She also collects 2.26 digs per set and has 10 total blocks on the year.
 
UNO's best hitter with over 100 attacks us Ava Kennon, who hold a .307 attack percentage while averaging 1.35 kill per set. She averages 2.00 points per set and leads the team in service aces with 14 while also amassing a team-best 25 blocks, seven solo and 18 assisted.
 
Tatiana Mercer's average of 2.54 digs per set leads all UNO players who have played in more than half of their 13 matches this season.
 
Southeastern hits for a .251 average as a team while opposing teams hit .209 against the Lady Lions. UNO hits .153 on the year and sees its opponents hit for .255 against them.
 
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.