COMMERCE, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University Volleyball team earned its third straight victory with a three-set sweep of East Texas A&M, 25-23, 25-15, 25-19, at The Field House Saturday.
The Lions (6-11, 3-1 SLC) won their third-consecutive Southland Conference matchup in a win at East Texas A&M (8-9, 2-2 SLC). SLU's win was the team's second sweep of the season. Since opening Southland Conference competition with a loss to SFA, the Lions have strung together their best streak of the season.
Kyra McKelvey paced all players in Saturday's match with 18 kills, her second straight contest with that mark. McKelvey also finished the match with a .533 hitting percentage, the second-best percentage in the match. With the highest hitting percentage (.545) in the match,
Carissa Young tallied eight kills to finish second on SLU.
Gracie Brown led the match with a trio of aces. Both
Ashley Richardson (23) and
Brea Payne (11) totaled double-digit assists in the match.
Richardson also notched 10 digs to secure her fifth double-double of the season, and her third consecutive double-double. Starting at libero for the Lions,
Lindsey Wickersham ended the match with a career-high 16 digs to lead the team.
Keira Beverly's four blocks were the top mark on Southeastern, with McKelvey posting a trio of blocks.
East Texas A&M's Gracie Campbell and Ariana Brown closed the match with 10 kills each. Haley Mullaney led the home team with 15 assists. Jade Washington recorded 19 digs to earn the top mark in the match. Sediong Scott collected a match-best six blocks.
Southeastern and East Texas A&M made the opening set a competitive one, with neither team taking an advantage greater than five. After the home team tied it at 6-6, SLU made a 7-2 run to put the visitors in front. Southeastern maintained its lead until East Texas A&M tied it at 20 apiece. From there, the home team tied it once again at 23-23, but the Lions scored back-to-back points with a kill by Abby Bailey and an ace from Payne.
SLU kept its momentum going into the second set, starting with a 7-3 edge. East Texas A&M got within two, 9-7, but Southeastern extended its lead to six shortly after, 15-9. SLU furthered its lead in the later points of the set, to end the frame with a 10-point advantage. The home team found its footing in the third set, 9-7, but Southeastern scored four straight points, including two aces from Brown, 11-9. From that point, SLU pulled away to secure its third SLC win of the season.
After the Lions' win in Commerce, Texas, Southeastern will return to Hammond, America, for a two-match home slate at the University Center. The week will begin with SLU hosting McNeese (4-10, 0-3 SLC) on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6:30 p.m. Southeastern will end the week by hosting Nicholls (8-8, 1-2 SLC) at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10. Both matches will be televised on ESPN+.
The Lions' match against McNeese will be Pink Out night. Fans are encouraged to wear pink at the game to help support breast cancer awareness. Saturday's match against Nicholls will be Alumni Day. Southeastern is inviting its fans to the match, where it will welcome back its former Lions to the University Center.
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.
