SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University Volleyball team kept its winning streak alive Wednesday, defeating UIW, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 20-25, 15-10, in a five-set match at the McDermott Center.
SLU (9-11, 6-1 SLC) earned its sixth straight victory on Wednesday, outlasting the Cardinals (7-9, 5-2 SLC) on Wednesday. The Lions currently hold the second-best record in the Southland Conference, trailing UTRGV (10-7, 6-0 SLC).
Kyra McKelvey's 22 kills led all players in the match, totaling her second-highest kills in a single match this season.
Keira Beverly also finished the night with double-digit kills, tallying 11 in San Antonio.
Carissa Young was third on the team with nine kills to notch a career-high.
Ashley Richardson posted her seventh double-double of the season with a team-high 31 assists and a season-high 16 digs. Freshman
Brea Payne also had assists in double figures, totaling 14 in the match.
Lindsey Wickersham hit the second-highest mark of her career with an SLU-best 20 digs.
Abigail Bailey also had double-digit digs with 10.
The reigning SLC Offensive Player of the Week,
Gracie Brown, reached double-digit blocks for the first time in her career, leading all players in the match with 10. McKelvey (5) and Beverly (4) finished second and third on the team in rejections. The Lions totaled 14 blocks on Wednesday, keeping up the team's efforts as the top blocking team in the SLC.
UIW's Calissa Allison finished the loss with a triple-double, posting double-figure marks in kills (19), assists (32), and digs (19). Four other Cardinals posted kills in double figures with Lilly Roach (12), Vanessa Eregie (12), Kitana Tuufuli (11), and Alex Beauchamp (10) tallying at least 10 apiece. After Allison, Victoria Hall was second on UIW in assists with 20. Defensively, Ashton Rogers was first in the match with 25 digs, while Sofia Grimm's seven blocks were the most on the team.
After the home team claimed the opening set, Southeastern began the second frame on a 4-0 run. After the Cardinals tied it at 8-8, the Lions retook the lead and held on to it until the later going of the set. UIW trailed closely behind, then managed to force a 24-23 set point. After a Brown kill, the sophomore teamed up with Young on block to force a set point for the visitors. For the point after,
Brea Payne gave the Lions their first set with an ace.
Once again, SLU began the third set with a 4-0 edge. The home team kept things close, getting within one, 12-11. However, the Lions went on a 5-1 run to force a timeout by the Cardinals. With UIW never allowing SLU to take a lead greater than five, the Lions claimed the lead with a three-point win in set three, 25-22.
The Cardinals found their footing in the latter points of the fourth set to win the frame and force a tie-breaking set. With a 3-2 edge for UIW, a kill by McKelvey and back-to-back kills by Bailey put SLU in front by two, 5-3. With the set tied at 9-9, the Lions went on a 6-1 run to seal the team's sixth SLC victory.
Southeastern will return to Hammond, America for a three-match slate at the University Center. The homestand will begin on Saturday at 11 a.m., when SLU takes on HCU (2-16, 0-6 SLC). The 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 Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpVB on X and Instagram or like /SLUathletics on Facebook.
