HAMMOND, La. – The two-time reigning Southland Conference regular season champion Southeastern Louisiana University indoor volleyball team will return home this week to host a pair of conference foes in the University Center.
 
Southeastern (11-5, 3-1 SLC) will open the week with a 6:30 p.m. match Thursday versus Northwestern State (1-17, 0-4 SLC). East Texas A&M (3-12, 1-3 SLC) visits Hammond Saturday for a noon SLC contest. Both matches will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 The Lion.
 
SLU fans visiting the UC this weekend already have their wardrobes decided for them. Fans are encouraged to wear green for Thursday's Green Out the UC promotion, while pink is the color of the day Saturday, at the noon Battle of the Lions is dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.
 
The Lady Lions are looking to bounce back from their first Southland regular season loss in over two years. SLU dropped a 3-0 decision at SFA last Saturday, but return to Hammond, where it's a perfect 6-0 this season.
 
Southeastern leads the SLC in kills per set with 13.41, while ranking second in the league in points (17.04 per set), hitting percentage (.238) and assists (11.93). Alexis Logarbo (.340) and Kyra McKelvey (.327) rank second and third, respectively, on the league hitting percentage leaderboard.
 
McKelvey is third in the Southland with 3.57 kills per set and fifth in the league with 3.87 points per set. Ashley Richardson's 6.06 assists per set are good for seventh in the league. Her fellow setter, Peyton Stokley is just outside the top 10 with 5.41 assists per set, while sitting eighth in the league with 18 service aces.
 
SLU is averaging a league-high 2.46 blocks per set and have held opponents to a .187 hitting percentage. India Bennett leads the conference with 1.77 blocks per set and is joined in the SLC top 10 by Logarbo (0.92 blocks per set). Lexi Gonzalez continues to lead Southeastern with 3.96 digs per set – good for fifth in the Southland.
 
Northwestern State comes to town looking to snap a 17-match losing streak. Elsie Sanchez Oliver (2.21) and Deja Benjamin (2.20) are the team leaders in kills per set. Reagan Hamm (4.38 assists per set) and Emmarie McFarland (3.32 digs per set) are the other leaders for the Demons.
 
East Texas A&M only has one conference victory, but it came at the expense of defending SLC Tournament champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The visiting Lions are led by Gracie Campbell's 3.63 kills per set. Haley Mullaney (5.44 assists per set) is the primary setter, while Jade Washington paces the ETAMU defense with an SLC-best 5.82 digs per set.
 
Following this week's action, SLU will be back on the road for three straight SLC contests, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. match at UTRGV Oct. 16. The match with the Vaqueros 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
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