HAMMOND, La. – The two-time reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team will return home to close out nonconference play and open SLC action during a busy week in the University Center.
 
Southeastern (7-4) will host Southern (2-8) in the nonconference finale Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. SLU opens Southland Conference play Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. contest versus McNeese (4-8).
 
The 2024 Southland Conference championship banner will be unveiled in conjunction with Thursday's match versus the Cowgirls. 
 
The Lady Lions will close out the week Saturday, hosting Nicholls for a noon SLC tilt. Fans are encouraged to wear gold to help Gold Out the UC for the contest against the Colonels. All of this week's volleyball action can be seen on ESPN+ and can be heard on 90.9 The Lion.
 
Southeastern comes into the home stand with a two-match win streak. The Lady Lions closed out last week's Texas A&M Invitational with a 3-1 victory over defending West Coast Conference champion Loyola Marymount Friday, followed by a 3-0 sweep of New Hampshire Saturday.
 
Kyra McKelvey leads the team and ranks second in the Southland in both kills (3.78) and points (4.11) per set. SLU leads the Southland with a .226 team hitting percentage, as Alexis Logarbo (.314, 3^rd) and McKelvey (.300, 7^th) both rank in the individual SLC top 10 in that category.
 
Southeastern is also second in the SLC with 11.69 assists per set as a team. Ashley Richardson (6.14, 7^th) and Peyton Stokley (5.58, 10^th) have split setting duties for the Lady Lions and both rank in the league's top 10 in assists per set.
 
SLU's India Bennett leads the Southland and ranks fourth in Division I with 1.81 blocks per set. Lexi Gonzalez is currently fifth in the Southland with a team-high 4.06 digs per set.
 
Southern will visit Hammond looking to snap a seven-match losing streak Tuesday. Ariana Brown paces the Lady Jaguars with 3.38 kills per set, while Jordan Felix (5.50 assists per set) is the primary setter. Najah Harris fuels the SU defensive efforts with 3.06 digs per set.
 
McNeese heads into Thursday's conference opener having lost three straight and seven of its last eight outings. D'Nari Mills (3.02 kills per set), Kinga Ziolkowska (5.93 assists per set) and Lauren Fuller (3.78 digs per set) are the top performers for the Cowgirls.
 
Nicholls, which faces New Orleans Thursday, heads into the week having won six of its last seven matches. Tamara Chavez leads the Southland with 4.46 kills and 178.5 points this fall. Isabella Padilla (9.39 assists per set) and Madison Smith (3.18 digs per set) are among the other Colonel standouts.
 
Following the trio of home matches, Southeastern will open the road portion of its Southland Conference schedule with a 6 p.m. match at Lamar Oct. 2.
 
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.