HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team kept its winning streak alive in a match between the Southland Conference's top two seeds, with SLU defeating UTRGV, 25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 15-10, in the University Center Thursday.
Southeastern (11-11, 8-1 SLC) improved to an SLC-best eight straight wins with a five-set victory against the Vaqueros (12-8, 8-1 SLC). After defeating UTRGV, the Lions are now tied for the top SLC record at 8-1.
Abigail Bailey and
Kyra McKelvey tied for a team-best 15 kills. Bailey's 15 kills were a career-high mark.
Keira Beverly was not far behind, posting 14 kills to notch her fourth match this season with double-digit kills.
Ashley Richardson paced the Lions with a career-high of 47 assists. The junior also earned her ninth double-double of the season, collecting 14 digs.
The Lions totaled season-high marks in both digs (79) and blocks (16).
Melina Gonzalez led SLU with a season-high 19 digs, while
Lindsey Wickersham tallied 18 digs in the match. For the second time in three matches,
Gracie Brown posted a match-leading 10 blocks. The sophomore's 10 blocks tied her career-high from last week's win at UIW. McKelvey's eight blocks were a career high, while Beverly's six tied her season-high mark.
UTRGV's Martina Franco led the match with 21 kills. Aaliyah Snead finished second on the Vaqueros with 16 kills. Lana Rnjak's 54 assists paced all players in Thursday's match. Celianiz Cabranes ended the loss with a match-best 22 digs. Carmina Tijerina (12) and Franco (11) also had digs in double figures. Snead's five blocks were a team-best mark.
With the score tied at 8-all in the opening set, SLU strung together a 5-1 run with three kills from Bailey, 13-9. Bailey helped push SLU ahead in the first frame, ending the set with six kills. The Lions extended their lead in the following points, leading by as many as nine at the set's end.
The Vaqueros fought back in the second set, taking a three-point advantage in the late moments of the set, 19-16. Southeastern, however, tied things up with kills from
Ainsley Driska, Richardson, and Beverly, 20-20. After back-to-back points by the visitors, the Lions scored each of the next five points to earn a two-set lead.
UTRGV turned the tide in the third set, carrying a three-point edge in the final points, 22-19. After a Brown-McKelvey block, the sophomore posted a solo rejection to get within one, 22-21. After McKelvey found the floor to tie it, 22-22, the visitors managed to survive a sweep by scoring three of the last four points, 25-23.
After the Vaqueros kept their momentum going to force a tie-breaking set, Beverly gave the Lions a lead with a big swing from the right side of the net, 1-0. After UTRGV jumped in front, 3-1, a service error, followed by a Bailey kill and a Beverly-McKelvey block, put the Lions back in front, 4-3.
The visitors tied it for the final time, 4-4, then a kill by Bailey, an error by UTRGV, and an ace from Wickersham created a three-point gap, 7-4. After another SLU block, 8-4, the Lions kept their lead intact, sealing the team's eighth straight win.
SLU will be back in the University Center on Saturday at 12 p.m., when Southeastern hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-13, 5-4 SLC). The match will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on KSLU 90.9 The Lion, online at either
www.LionSports.net/listenlive or
www.LionUpRadio.org, via the following apps – Lions Gameday Experience, Live365, iHeart, Audacy, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio - or on Alexa speakers (skill must be enabled first). All you have to say is, "Alexa, play K.S.L.U."
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.
