HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team will look to finish the regular season strong this week, when SLU hosts Stephen F. Austin and Lamar in the University Center.
 
Southeastern (15-12, 12-2 SLC) is set to host SFA (18-9, 12-2 SLC) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., before facing Lamar (9-18, 6-8 SLC) on Saturday at 12 p.m. The matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
The Lions are in the middle of a three-way tie between SFA and UIW (14-9, 12-2 SLC) for the top spot in the Southland standings, with all teams owning 12 conference wins. After the Ladyjacks took down SLU in the first conference matchup of the season, the Lions will look to even the season series on Thursday.
 
SLU's easiest path to clinching its third SLC Regular Season Championship in four seasons is for the team to win both of its matches this week. Other outcomes would be determined by various results around the league this week.
 
Saturday's regular-season finale will be Senior Day for Southeastern. SLU will be celebrating seniors Ainsley Driska, Carissa Young, Mina Petrovic, Kyra McKelvey, Lindsey Wickersham, and Keira Beverly prior to first serve at 12 p.m.
 
The senior McKelvey remains the Southland's leader in total kills, with the Navarre, Fla. native tallying 367 kills through 105 sets. After McKelvey finished last week with 26 kills, she ranks fourth in the league in kills per set (3.50). The senior Beverly has become one of the most accurate hitters in the SLC, averaging a .343 attack percentage to rank third in the league.
 
Setter Ashley Richardson has continued to be one of the top players at her position in the conference. The League City, Texas, native's 8.17 assists per set place fourth in the SLC. After earning her first career SLC Setter of the Week honor last week, Richardson was given an Honorable Mention for this week's award.
 
Both Melina Gonzalez and the senior Wickersham have held down the Lions' defense in recent weeks. The freshman Gonzalez finished last week's back-to-back wins with 20 kills and 33 digs, earning the first double-double of her career of 13 kills and 24 digs against LSU New Orleans. At libero, Wickersham has continued the best stretch of her collegiate career, recording double-digit digs in each of her last 11 matches. In the last 11 matches, Wickersham has averaged 3.95 digs per set. After posting six blocks last week, Beverly remains one of the SLC's top blockers, averaging 0.92 blocks per set to place 10^th in the league.
 
Also fighting for a regular-season title, the Ladyjacks have been among the top SLC teams in several marks. The team ranks first in points, hitting percentage, kills, and blocks. Despite no Ladyjacks appearing in the top-10 Southland student-athletes in kill-per-set, Jordan Henderson is currently averaging a .347 hitting percentage, the second-best mark in the conference. Both Kyanna Creecy (1.25) and Henderson (1.09) are among the league's top blockers, ranking first and third in the SLC in blocks per set. Creecy is also the conference's leader in total blocks (115).
 
On the flip side, Lamar does not rank among the top marks in team categories, but Maja Malinowska and Nisaan Martinez have been among the league's top performers this season. Malinowska's 3.70 kills per set are the top mark in the league, while Martinez's 3.31 kills per set stand at sixth in the SLC. Madelynn Coy owns a 0.35 aces-per-set mark to place fourth in the Southland. The Cardinals' Saida Maksoud ranks fourth in blocks per set, averaging 1.06. Lamar is entering the week looking to secure a spot in the postseason, owning a 6-8 SLC record as the would-be No. 7 seed.
 
Next week, the Lions will head to the Dugan Wellness Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, for the Southland Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament. The conference tourney will begin on Friday, Nov. 20, and conclude on Sunday, Nov. 22. All SLC tournament matches 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
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