Southeastern Falls Against Islanders, Claims Program’s First Win over HCU

3/21/2026 6:22:00 PM

SLU claims its first program victory over HCU as Mia McKinney earns 44 career wins, the most in program history

YOUNGSVILLE, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University beach volleyball team secured a 1-1 split decision to close out day one of the Southland Conference Mid-Season Invitational Saturday afternoon at Sugar Beach.

SLU (7-10, 3-2 SLC) finished with a split decision to close out day one of the tournament while hosting in Youngsville, La. Southeastern suffered a tough shutout against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-8, 2-0 SLC) to open the day. The Islanders gained the early advantage in the match as the Sandy Lions fought to stay within reach in sets.

Southeastern battled on court one as reigning SLC Pair of the Week Makayla Hicks and Cadie Kusy fought to try and force the match into three-sets, but could not capitalize, falling 19-21, 18-21. Elizabeth Hardouin and Genevieve Schubert came out to strong start, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi quickly regrouped to claim a 21-19, 21-15 win.

The Sandy Lions returned to the sand to gain their first program victory over HCU (2-15, 1-2 SLC) to end the day. SLU came out with renewed energy early in the match to record dominant two-set wins as pair five Hardouin and Schubert earned a 21-12, 21-14 victory. Hicks and Kusy followed up with a commanding 21-16, 21-11 win over the Huskies as Mia McKinney and Maggie Paiva sealed the deal for Southeastern with a hard-fought 22-20, 21-18 victory.

McKinney stepped up for SLU to earn her 44th career win, the most in program history. The Humble, Texas native stands in a league of her own and has been a consistent force for the Sandy Lions this season as a part of pair three.

Southeastern will suit up and return to the sand to open serve Sunday at 9 a.m. against Stephen F. Austin before facing conference rival Nicholls at 1 p.m. to close out the weekend.

Saturday's Results:

Match 1: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5, Southeastern 0
	SLU	TAMUCC	Winner	Score
1	Gabriela Hrubanova/Mia Sauers	Madison Morrow/Kristin Bobay	TAMUCC	21-14, 21-18
2	Carley Petty/Taylor Stockwell	Maria Duda/Millie Olsson	TAMUCC	21-14, 21-16
3	Mia McKinney/Maggie Paiva	Bryce Ranney/Millie Berthou	TAMUCC	21-17, 21-17
4	Makayla Hicks/Cadie Kusy	Lizzie Denyer/Ashlyn Rough	TAMUCC	21-19, 21-18
5	Elizabeth Hardouin/Genevieve Schubert	Mia Stevens/Saskia Hernandez	TAMUCC	21-19, 21-15

Match 2: Southeastern 3, Houston Christian 2
	SLU	HCU	Winner	Score
1	Gabriela Hrubanova/Mia Sauers	Olivia Ziegler/Hannah Foor	HCU	9-21, 21-16, 15-7
2	Carley Petty/Maggie Paiva	Paige Palmer/Grace Melnick	HCU	22-20, 21-18
3	Mia McKinney/Emmaleigh Vincent	Lauren Vickery/Alexa Landmark	SLU	22-20, 21-18
4	Makayla Hicks/Cadie Kusy	Sophia Sabol/Mycah Whittemore	SLU	21-16, 21-11
5	Elizabeth Hardouin/Genevieve Schubert	Claudia Lozano/Dariya Tlevlessova	SLU	21-12, 21-14

GOLDEN SAND CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern beach volleyball program are encouraged to join the Golden Sand Club. Lion beach volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to the Golden Sand Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern beach volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.lionsports.net/sports/2026/1/29/golden-sand-club.aspx.

SOCIAL MEDIA

For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpBeach on Twitter, @LionUpBeach on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

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