HAMMOND, La. – After winning seven straight matches, the Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team is set for a two-contest slate in the University Center, where the Lions will face off against UTRGV and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday and Saturday.
 
Southeastern (10-11, 7-1 SLC) has won each of its last seven Southland Conference matches, going back to the team's five-set win against Lamar on Saturday, Sept. 26. SLU will host UTRGV (12-7, 8-0 SLC) for a contest between the SLC's No. 1 and 2 seeds on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The Lions will end their home slate against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-13, 4-4 SLC) on Saturday at 12 p.m. Both matches will be televised on ESPN+.
 
On Thursday, the Lions' match against the Vaqueros will be Green Out night at the University Center. Fans are encouraged to wear green to help support Southeastern in an exciting match.
 
Kyra McKelvey enters this week having won two of the last three SLC Offensive Player of the Week awards. The senior continues to put together great offensive performances, posting 35 kills in the team's last two matches. The Navarre, Fla. native also has averaged 3.38 kills per set, the fourth-best mark in the league. Gracie Brown, who won the SLC Offensive weekly honor just two weeks ago, also delivered strong play at the net last week. The sophomore finished the week with 18 kills and 15 blocks, earning the first double-digit blocking performance of her career with 10 blocks against UIW.
 
Ashley Richardson has continued to produce at setter for the Lions. The junior has averaged 7.68 assists per set to rank fourth in the Southland. In SLU's wins last week, the League City, Texas native tallied 64 assists, 27 digs, and six service aces to notch her seventh and eighth double-doubles of the season.
 
Keira Beverly has been one of the most accurate hitters in the conference, averaging a .312 attack percentage, the seventh-best mark in the SLC. The Mandeville, La. native has also been one of the conference's top blockers, posting 62 blocks this season, to hold the eighth-highest total in the league. Beverly and Brown have helped the Lions become the top team in the SLC when it comes to blocks. The Lions average 2.29 blocks per set with a total of 183.5 blocks, the best by any team in the conference.
 
For the second consecutive week, the Lions will face a team with two SLC Players of the Week. UTRGV's Julianna Bryant and Lana Rnjak won the Defensive Player and Setter of the Week awards last week. The Vaqueros have yet to lose a match in conference play, with the team winning their last nine contests. Bryant had 15 blocks last week and leads the conference in blocks per set (1.21).
 
Rnjak has won four weekly awards this season and averages the most assists per set (9.58) in the league. Ema Petkovic and Martina Franco have produced offensively for the Vaqueros, with the former averaging the most kills per set in the SLC (3.68) and the latter ranking third in that category (3.40). Petkovic's 41 service aces lead the conference this season.
 
After falling in their last three matches, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is looking to get back in the win column this week, when the Islanders visit LSU New Orleans and Southeastern. Erin Hermann and Virginia Van Der Werff are two of the most accurate hitters in the SLC. Hermann's .366 attack percentage is second in the league, while Van Der Werff's .347 mark is fourth in the Southland. Van Der Werff's 6.10 assists per set are seventh in the SLC standings. The Islanders' Brooklyn Jaeger averages the sixth-most digs per set (4.35) in the Southland Conference.
 
SLU will hit the road next week, closing the season series against McNeese (8-11, 4-4 SLC) and Nicholls (9-12, 2-6 SLC). The Lions will visit the Cowgirls in Lake Charles, La., on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. Southeastern will then make the trip to Thibodaux, La., to take on the Colonels on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. Next week's road matchups 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.