EDINBURG, Texas – The two-time reigning Southland Conference regular season champion Southeastern Louisiana University indoor volleyball team came out of the wrong end of a 25-18, 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-6 decision to UTRGV in a five-set SLC classic Thursday night at UTRGV Fieldhouse.
In a battle of two of the four teams that came in to the week tied for second place, SLU (13-6, 5-2 SLC) couldn't close out the win after taking a 2-1 set lead. UTRGV (11-7, 6-1 SLC) rallied to take the fourth set, then capped the victory with a dominant fifth set.
Kyra McKelvey paced the Lady Lions with 17 kills, while
Anne Brauckmiller posted her second straight double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs.
Alexis Logarbo contributed 10 kills for Southeastern, which also saw
Peyton Stokley and
Ashley Richardson contribute 24 and 23 kills, respectively.
Lexi Gonzalez led SLU with 17 digs, while
India Bennett posted a team-high four blocks.
UTRGV was led by the duo of Dimitra Nanou (23 kills) and Martina Franco (20 kills), as the Vaqueros finished with a .321 hitting percentage. Isabella Costantini paced the hosts with 61 assists. Defensively, Celianiz Cabranes led UTRGV with 28 digs, while Aaliyah Snead contributed a match-high six blocks for the Vaqueros.
After falling in a one-set hole, SLU evened the match in set two. Trailing 20-16 in the second set, the Lady Lions closed out the set on a 9-3 run with Brauckmiller accounting for the final three points of the set for Southeastern.
A grueling third set featured 13 ties, seven lead changes and four successful challenges. SLU took a 2-1 lead when Cabranes hit a serve into the net on set point.
The Vaqueros weren't done, however, hitting .379 in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth set. UTRGV carried the momentum into set five, posting a .462 hitting percentage in the deciding period.
SLU will continue its road swing Saturday, traveling to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-12, 3-4 SLC) for a 1 p.m. match. Saturday's match will be televised on ESPN+.
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 on X and Instagram or like /SLUathletics on Facebook.
