BEAUMONT, Texas – The two-time reigning Southland Conference regular season champion Southeastern Louisiana University indoor volleyball team opened the road portion of its SLC schedule with a 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 victory over Lamar Thursday evening in McDonald Gym.
Southeastern (11-4, 3-0 SLC) extended its winning streak to six matches with its fifth consecutive three-set win. The host Cardinals fell to 7-11 overall and 0-3 in league play.
Ashley Richardson posted her fifth double-double of the season for SLU, finishing with a team-high 19 assists to go with 13 digs.
Peyton Stokley split setting duties with Richardson, adding 14 assists.
SLU, which came in to Thursday's match leading the Southland in hitting percentage, hit .287 on the way to the victory. Abby Bailey led a balanced Lady Lion attack with 10 kills, while
Alexis Logarbo.
Kyra McKelvey and
Anne Brauckmiller contributed nine kills apiece.
Southeastern was led defensively by
India Bennett's four blocks, while Logarbo chipped in with three of her own.
Lexi Gonzalez paced SLU with 17 digs.
The Lamar duo of Kinley Elms and Taisha Rhone finished with 20 and 14 kills, respectively. LU's Alexa Gonzalez finished with 41 assists, while Maja Malinowska shared match-high honors with Southeastern's Gonzalez with 17 digs.
Southeastern never trailed in the opening set. Logarbo had six first-set kills, while Bennett and Bailey added four apiece, as SLU hit .385 on the way to a one-set advantage.
The second set was more competitive, but the host Cardinals could not hold off the Lady Lions. Brauckmiller had five kills and hit .833 for the set to give Southeastern a two-set cushion.
Lamar would not go away quietly, however, in the third set. The Cardinals held an 18-13 lead as they attempted to extend the match. A Richardson kill followed by back-to-back Stokley aces started the Lady Lion comeback. SLU closed the match on a 12-5 run with a Brauckmiller kill closing out the sweep for Southeastern.
Southeastern will return to action Saturday, facing fellow SLC co-leader Stephen F. Austin (8-6, 3-0 SLC) at noon in Nacogdoches, Texas. Saturday's showdown 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.
