HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University Volleyball team claimed its fourth straight victory Thursday, defeating McNeese, 25-22, 29-27, 22-25, 25-14, in the Lions' Southland Conference home opener at the University Center.
SLU (7-11, 4-1 SLC) defended home court against McNeese (5-11, 1-4 SLC) to begin the third week of SLC competition. The Lions won the match in four sets, to post their fourth victory in conference play.
Three Lions recorded double-digit kills in Thursday's win. For the fourth straight contest,
Kyra McKelvey led the team offensively, recording a team-high 14 kills.
Gracie Brown posted 13 kills to earn a career-high mark, and also ended the win with a match-best .476 hitting percentage.
Abigail Bailey tied her season-high mark with 10 kills.
Ashley Richardson's 38 assists were a match high and her second-highest mark of the season.
Defensively,
Lindsey Wickersham (12) and
Melina Gonzalez (11) ended the day with digs in double figures. The Lions were all over the net Thursday, totaling a season-high 15 blocks as a team, the most since SLU's win (16) over Jackson State on Aug. 30, 2025. Brown paced all players in the match with seven rejections, while
Keira Beverly and Gonzalez notched six blocks and five blocks, respectively.
McNeese's Gabbie Maldonado led the attack for the Cowgirls, totaling a match-high 15 kills. Ava Henry also added double-digit kills with 13 in Thursday's loss. Megan Grose (23) and Corynne Hausler (16) split setting duties, and both notched assists in double figures. Sophia Tocmo's 16 digs were the most by any player in the match, while Gaby Santiago finished second on the Cowgirls with 13 digs. Henry's five blocks led McNeese.
The Lions leaped out to a four-point edge in the early going of set one, 10-6. After a Brown block and a McKelvey kill extended the lead to six, the Cowgirls got within two after a timeout. McNeese remained close in the first set, but back-to-back points by the Lions sealed the deal in the first set.
The Lions and the Cowgirls traded jabs in the second set, keeping things close at 8-8. The Lions broke away shortly after, creating a six-point advantage with a 7-1 run. After the break, McNeese found its footing, pulling within two, then forced set point, 24-23. With the Cowgirls ahead, 26-25, McKelvey found the floor, then connected with Beverly on a block to flip the script, 27-26. After McNeese tied it once again, a McKelvey-Beverly block and an attack error put the Lions up by two sets.
However, McNeese held its ground and claimed the third set. The Cowgirls started the fourth set with an edge, but the Lions broke through to take the fourth set in dominant fashion, finishing the match with their largest lead, 25-14.
The Lions are set to wrap up their two-match home slate on Saturday, at 12 p.m., when SLU hosts Nicholls (9-9, 2-3 SLC) at the University Center. The match will be available to watch on ESPN+. Saturday's contest will feature Alumni Day, when Southeastern will honor its former Lions during the match.
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
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