BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The two-time reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team snapped its four-match losing streak in impressive fashion, earning a 26-28, 25-17, 25-20, 25-16 win over Loyola Marymount on day two of the Texas A&M Invitational at Reed Arena.
SLU (6-4) rallied from a set down for the victory over defending West Coast Conference champion LMU (2-6). Southeastern hit .279 for the match, including .308 over the final three sets. Loyola Marymount was limited to a .156 hitting percentage, as SLU held the Lions to .079 over final two sets.
Buoying the Southeastern winning performance were matching double-double efforts by the setter duo of
Peyton Stokley and
Ashley Richardson. Stokley paced SLU with 25 assists and 15 digs, while Richardson added 23 assists and 10 digs of her own.
Kyra McKelvey once again led SLU with 15 kills, while
Alexis Logarbo added 13 winners and finished Friday's win with a blistering .462 hitting percentage.
Anne Brauckmiller, who returned to the lineup Thursday at Texas A&M after a five-match absence, joined McKelvey and Logarbo in double figures with 10 kills.
The SLC leader in blocks,
India Bennett, again led the Southeastern defensive effort with seven blocks, as the Lady Lions posted 12.0 total team blocks Friday. Abby Bailey and
Lexi Gonzalez finished with 12 digs apiece to join Stokley and Richardson and give SLU four players with double-digit digs.
LMU's Madeline Boerstra led the Lions with a double-double effort, posting a team-high 19 kills and 14 digs. Sophia Keene added 13 kills for Loyola Marymount, while Delfina Schuh led all players with 32 assists.
After Southeastern dropped a tightly-contested opening set, the Lady Lions dominated the remainder of the match. SLU evened the contest at a set apiece, hitting .417 in the second set.
LMU tied the third set, 18-18, after an attack error by
Ayla Klingenberg. However, Southeastern closed out the set with a 7-3 run, as a Brauckmiller kill on set point gave the Lady Lions a 2-1 lead.
McKelvey had three kills and a block assist during a 7-0 run that allowed SLU to take a 12-5 lead in the fourth set. LMU would get no closer than four points the rest of the set, as a kill by Abby Bailey capped a 5-0 run and provided the final point in Southeastern's first win since a 3-1 victory at Central Arkansas Sept. 6.
Southeastern will look out to close its eight-match road swing on a high note Saturday, facing New Hampshire at noon. Live stats, provided by host Texas A&M, will be accessible via the indoor volleyball schedule page at
www.LionSports.net.
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.
