Match 20 | Southeastern (15-4, 7-0 SLC) at Lamar (10-8, 2-4 SLC)
Oct. 17, 2024 | 6:30 p.m. | McDonald Gym (500) | Beaumont, Texas
Series History: Lamar leads, 29-16
Last Meeting: Southeastern 3, Lamar 0 (25-11, 2516, 25-23) (Sept. 26, 2024 – Hammond, La.)
Television: ESPN+
Radio: None
 
Match 21 | Southeastern (15-4, 7-0 SLC) at Stephen F. Austin (14-5, 6-0 SLC)
Oct. 19, 2024 | 12 p.m. | Robert H. Shelton Gymnasium (1,000) | Nacogdoches, Texas
Series History: SFA leads, 41-8
Last Meeting: Southeastern 3, SFA 2 (19-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-10) (Sept. 6, 2024 – El Paso, Texas)
Television: ESPN+
Radio: None

HAMMOND, La. – The reigning, two-time Southland Conference Champion Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team faces two key battles this week to open what could prove to be a pivotal four-match road trip, heading to Texas to take on Lamar and Stephen F. Austin starting on Thursday night.
 
The Lady Lions (15-4, 7-0 SLC) start their week in Beaumont, Texas on Thursday, looking to finish a second-straight regular season sweep of Lamar. Opening serve of the match against the Cardinals (10-8, 2-4 SLC) is set for 6:30 p.m. from McDonald Gym. Then, it's a battle at the top of the Southland Conference standings in Nacogdoches, Texas on Saturday as Southeastern goes for a second win this season against Stephen F. Austin. Opening serve of Saturday's match against the Ladyjacks (14-5, 6-0 SLC) is set for 12 p.m. at the Robert H. Shelton Gymnasium. Both matches will be televised on ESPN+ with live stats also available through the host institution.
 
Southeastern will be looking to continue its win streak that has now reached 15-straight. SLU has also won 24-straight matches in Southland Conference play, and 27-straight against SLC teams overall, no matter if it counts as a conference or non-conference contest.
 
The Lady Lions are coming off of a three-win week which saw Southeastern finish off two season sweeps with wins over New Orleans and McNeese while, in the middle of the trio, SLU got one-up on Nicholls in the first of two meetings this season with the Colonels.
 
In its last match, a sweep-clinching win over McNeese in straight sets, Southeastern got 13 kills and 14 points from Cicily Hidalgo. Keira Beverly scored 12.5 points on 10 kills with five block assists. India Bennett scored 10.5 points on seven kills and five block assists.
 
Hidalgo leads the Lady Lions attack with 4.05 points per set. She tallies 3.53 kills per set on a .268 attack percentage with 14 service aces and 35 total blocks on the year.
 
Hannah Brewer is next on the scoring list, averaging 2.96 points per set. Brewer scores 2.19 kills per set and leads the Lady Lions with 30 service aces on the season. She's also contributed 34 total blocks on the year.
 
Kyra McKelvey, 2.26 kills per set and .267 attack percentage, and Alexis Logarbo, 2.03 kills per set with a .263 attack percentage, also average more than two kills per set.
 
Lexi Gonzalez slots between Brewer and Hidalgo in terms of service aces with 17 while SLU's top two setters in Gracie Duplechein and Ashley Richardson both have 13 aces this year. Duplechein and Richardson have the exact same number of assists this season, 331, while Duplechein holds a 5.81 per set average with Richardson at 5.43 assists per set.
 
Bennett is SLU's blocks leader with 86 total blocks this season, followed by Keira Beverly with 64 and Logarbo with 51.
 
Gonzalez leads the back line for the Lady Lions, averaging 3.24 digs per set while Hidalgo is right behind her with 3.03 digs per set and Brewer at 2.67.
 
Lamar, who dropped a straight-sets decision to Southeastern in Hammond to open SLC play last month, enters Thursday's match looking to end a three-match skid. In their most recent outing, the Cardinals dropped a tough, five-set, decision at Houston Christian after taking a 2-1 lead following a third set that finished 33-31. Maja Malinowska had a night against the Huskies, finishing with 22 kills on a .340 attack percentage and two service aces for 24 points while getting 16 digs for a double-double. Lyric Jordan had 16 kills with four total blocks, one solo, to finish with 19.5 points against HCU.
 
Malinowska and Jordan are Lamar's top two threats offensively this season. Malinowska averages 4.19 points per set, putting down 3.86 kills per set on a .236 attack percentage with 10 service aces and 17 total blocks. Jordan is responsible for 3.84 points per set, scoring on 3.51 kills per set and a .221 attack percentage, five service aces, and 24 total blocks on the year.
 
The Cardinals have three players with at least 20 service aces on the season, led by Keeley Nellis who has gotten 23 serves to fall in for a Lamar point. Alexa Gonzalez is right behind her with 22 service aces this season while Taisha Rhone has 20.
 
Gonzalez is Lamar's primary setter on the year, averaging 9.95 assists per set. Jo Moffitt is next at 3.86.
 
At the net, Ashlyn Gamble is the top blocker with 50 total blocks on the season. Annie Cathey has 42 total blocks while Emily Moon has contributed 29.
 
On the back line for Lamar, Nellis is the top Cardinal by averaging 4.56 digs per set. Malinowska is right behind her at 3.38 while Rhone digs up 2.36 per set and Gonzalez at 2.17.
 
SFA enters the week as the only other team in the Southland that hasn't suffered a loss in SLC play, though it was SLU's reverse sweep of the Ladyjacks at the Borderland Invitational in El Paso last month which started the Lady Lions' current win streak. That loss to Southeastern was the first of five-straight defeats for the Ladyjacks, but SFA hasn't lost since, having won its last nine before taking on the UNO Privateers on Thursday.
 
In their last outing, SFA held off a game Incarnate Word squad which forced the Ladyjacks to a fifth-set after falling behind 2-0. In the win in San Antonio, both Izabella Ortiz and Katherine Holtman finished with 20 kills. Ortiz had 23.5 points as she added an ace and four total blocks, one solo, while Holtman finished with 23 points, also contributing five total blocks, one solo.
 
Kennedy Jones and Camryn Hill both scored 12.5 points in the match with Jones tallying 11 kills and two total blocks, one solo, while Hill had 10 kills, an ace, and three block assists. Both also had double-doubles as they were both credited with 21 digs against the Cardinals.
 
Kyanna Creecy was also in double-figures in scoring against UIW, putting up 10.5 points on six kills and nine block assists.
 
Holtman is SFA's top threat on offense, averaging 3.52 points per set by scoring 3.05 kills per set on a .316 attack percentage. She also sits third on the team in blocks with 45 total blocks on the year.
 
Ortiz is the next option for the Ladyjacks, scoring 3.35 points per set. She adds 2.59 kills per set on a .331 attack percentage with 10 service aces and 67 total blocks, second-most on the squad.
 
Hill adds 2.91 points per set, putting down 2.42 kills per set on a .206 attack percentage and 17 service aces which is the second-most for SFA. She had 24 total blocks on the year while also leading the Ladyjacks in digs per set average a 3.33.
 
Jayden Flynn is SFA's top server with 22 service aces on the season. Caroline Kahle has 15 aces on the season while Natalie Guerrero joins Ortiz with 10.
 
Flynn is also SFA's top setter at 6.06 assists per set while Sophia Wilson averages 4.51 with Cambry Saul at 3.92.
 
Creecy is the top blocker for SFA with 71 total blocks on the year, 12 solo.
 
The road trip continues next week as the only match on the week for the Lady Lions will be a trip to Houston for the only meeting with the Houston Christian Huskies.
 
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.