HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University Volleyball team kicked off the Southeastern Showdown Friday, winning a double-header against Texas Southern and Charlotte to open the home tournament at the University Center.
Southeastern (3-5) began Friday by defeating Texas Southern (0-8) in straight sets, then ended the day with a four-set win over Charlotte (2-6). The Lions have now defeated two American Conference teams, with SLU defeating Memphis last week.
Match 1 – Southeastern 3, Texas Southern 0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-13)
SLU put together a complete performance in the team's first match of the weekend, winning in straight sets over Texas Southern (0-8). After beginning the match with a lead, the Lions never gave up their advantage, leading by as many as 13 points at the end of the second frame.
Freshman
Gracie Mann totaled a match-high 15 kills, setting a season-best mark.
Kyra McKelvey posted 10 kills to reach double figures for the fifth straight match.
Ashley Richardson's 18 assists were a match-high, while freshman
Brea Payne tallied 15 assists for a season-high. With 13 digs and a pair of aces,
Audrey Vielguth collected two match-high marks.
Keira Beverly led SLU with five blocks, with Richardson adding four rejections.
On the visitors' side, Texas Southern's Ava Houston and Lauren Battle ended the match with five kills each. Ava Ray totaled a dozen digs to lead the Tigers. Keagan St. Junious paced TSU with seven digs.
Match 2 – Southeastern 3, Charlotte 1 (25-18, 25-23, 13-25, 25-17)
McKelvey and
Abigail Bailey were tied for a team-leading 10 kills. Bailey served a trio of aces to tie the match-leading mark.
Ainsley Driska finished the match just behind the two Lions, finding the floor nine times. Richardson set up a team-high 27 assists, with
Brea Payne posting a season-best 16 assists. Vielguth earned her third consecutive match with double-digit digs, with a season-high 16 digs. Driska's five blocks were a match-high.
The 49ers' Elena Kovacevic led all players in the match with 14 kills. Mariam Mushkudiani (12) and Clara Briley (11) both reached double figures in kills. Harper Hall's 36 assists paced both teams. Chloe Maughan also notched a match-leading mark with 22 digs, also tying Driska's three aces.
The Lions carried their momentum from Friday's first match into the team's second matchup against Charlotte. After dominating the 49ers in the opening set, SLU claimed the second set, 25-23, after trailing in the final points. Charlotte found its footing in set three, but the Lions bounced back in the fourth en route to a second straight victory.
After Texas Southern and Charlotte face each other Saturday in Hammond, at 12 p.m., the Lions will host LSU (3-3) at 2 p.m. Sunday in the University Center. Southeastern's tournament-closing match against the Tigers 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
For more information on Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpVB on X and Instagram or like /SLUathletics on Facebook.
