NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team notched its third straight win in a four-set match against LSU New Orleans, 17-25, 25-18, 25-14, 28-26, at the Human Performance Center Thursday.
SLU (15-12, 12-2 SLC) remains in the race for first place in the Southland Conference after defeating LSU New Orleans (3-24, 1-13 SLC) for the second time this week. The hosting Privateers won the first set, but Southeastern claimed the next three frames to seal the deal.
Kyra McKelvey led the Lions once again, totaling 17 kills to pace all players in Thursday's match. The senior also recorded a .333 hitting percentage. Freshman
Melina Gonzalez posted a season-high of 13 kills.
Abigail Bailey ended Thursday's four-set match with 11 kills, finishing third on the team.
Ashley Richardson notched 40 assists in the win, marking her fifth match of the season with 40 assists or more.
Both McKelvey and Gonzalez recorded double-doubles on Thursday. McKelvey tallied 11 digs, while Gonzalez led all players in the match with a season-high 24 digs, the most digs by any SLU student-athlete in a single match this season.
Lindsey Wickersham ended the match with digs in double figures, posting 18 in the win.
Gracie Brown paced the Lions with four blocks.
For LSU New Orleans, Ryan Williams and Armie Hall tied for a Privateer-best 14 kills. Hall ended Thursday with a team-best .481 hitting percentage. Ava Frerman also reached double figures offensively, collecting 10 kills. Mariana Franco paced the Privateers with 26 assists, while Defne Eciroglu was second on the home team with 21. Vladana Ristic's 23 digs were the best mark for LSU New Orleans, with Peyton Cole chipping in 13 digs.
After SLU took a 5-0 lead to begin the first set, the Privateers found their footing and pulled ahead, 11-8. The hosts proceeded to extend their lead to eight, then won the opening set, 25-17.
The visitors swung momentum back in their favor in the second set, earning a one-point advantage early, 6-5. A 7-1 Southeastern run kept the Lions ahead by seven, 13-6. SLU held its seven-point advantage intact to even the set score, 25-18.
SLU played its most dominant set of the night in the third frame. After gaining an 8-5 edge, the Lions strung together five straight points with scores from Brown, Gonzalez, and
Keira Beverly, 13-5. SLU rolled through the set from that point, earning its second set, 25-14.
The Privateers kept things afloat in the fourth set, beginning the frame with a 5-0 edge. LSU New Orleans went ahead by four, 18-14. Points from Gonzalez and an ace from Richardson knotted the match at 18-all. After the Privateers stayed in front, SLU tied it twice more before taking a lead, 24-23. The home team forced set point, 26-25, but points from Bailey and Beverly gave SLU the win, 28-26.
With the seventh week of SLC play concluded for the Lions, Southeastern will host SFA (17-9, 11-2 SLC) and Lamar (9-17, 6-7 SLC) at the University Center in the final week of the regular season. SLU will face the Ladyjacks on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., then take on the Cardinals in a 12 p.m. matchup on Saturday.
The Lions' match against Lamar will be Senior Day at the University Center. Before the match, Southeastern will be celebrating its six seniors, McKelvey, Wickersham, Beverly,
Mina Petrovic,
Carissa Young, and
Ainsley Driska.
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.
