THIBODAUX, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team got back in the win column with a four-set win against Nicholls, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22, at Stopher Gymnasium Saturday.
Kyra McKelvey and
Keira Beverly combined for 30 kills and 10 blocks to lift the Lions (13-12, 10-2 SLC) to a four-set road victory over the Colonels (9-16, 2-10 SLC). After the Lions opened the match with a first-set win, Nicholls evened the score with a win in the second set. The Lions went on to win the following two sets to notch their 10
th win in Southland Conference play.
McKelvey ended the win with a match-best 18 kills, giving her a total of 41 kills this week. The senior also tallied a match-high seven blocks. Beverly posted a dozen kills in the win, finishing with the second-most kills in the match. The Mandeville, La., native also hit for a match-best .526 attack percentage, previously hitting for .556 in Thursday's match. With 10 kills on Saturday,
Abigail Bailey collected kills in double figures for the fourth straight match.
Ashley Richardson's 43 assists were the top mark in Saturday's match, ending the week with 88 total assists.
After tallying 13 digs on Thursday,
Melina Gonzalez set a season-high mark with 20 digs against Nicholls. Gonzalez has totaled 64 digs through her last four matches.
Lindsey Wickersham finished second on Southeastern with 10 digs, her ninth consecutive match with double-digit digs. After McKelvey's seven rejections, Beverly had a trio of blocks, with Bailey and Gonzalez notching two apiece.
Nicholls' Zahahrah Edwards-Wyllie and Madison Smith tied for a team-best nine kills. Isabella Padilla (22) and Jenna Cicherski (19) split setting duties, and combined for 41 assists. Cicherski led the match with three service aces. Natalie Navarro tied Gonzalez's match-high mark with 20 digs. Edwards-Wyllie and Maya Schirmer tied for a Colonels-best five blocks each.
The Lions put together a dominant start to Saturday's match, taking an 8-1 advantage in the first set. SLU kept its momentum going in the set, taking an 11-point edge, 20-9, and rolling into the second set with a win, 25-16.
The Lions and the Colonels tied eight times through the first 20 points, 10-10. After an SLU lead, Nicholls broke through in the final points of the set with back-to-back kills from Schirmer.
After the Colonels tied it, 1-1, at the start of the third set, Southeastern claimed the lead and never gave it back for the rest of the set. Nicholls, however, remained closely behind, never trailing by more than six.
In the fourth set, the Lions kept their lead intact until the Colonels climbed back in with a 17-17 tie. Despite Nicholls taking a 22-19 edge, the Lions scored six straight points with kills from McKelvey and Beverly to seal the win.
SLU will play two matches against LSU New Orleans (3-22, 1-11 SLC) next week, starting with a home contest on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. After hosting the Privateers at the University Center, the Lions will head to the Human Performance Center in New Orleans, La., to end the season series on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Both matches will be televised on ESPN+.
Tuesday's home match against the Privateers will be Residential Life Rivalry night at the University Center. Fans are encouraged to represent their hall by wearing their colors and competing to see who brings the loudest energy on campus.
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.
