LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Southeastern Louisiana University Volleyball team began its final non-conference slate Friday, falling in a doubleheader against UC Irvine, 3-1, and UNLV, 3-0, at The Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nev., for The Rebel Challenge.
Southeastern (3-9) fell to UC Irvine (2-8) and UNLV (2-7) on the opening day of the tourney. The Lions will look to earn a win in the team's final non-conference match of 2026 on Saturday.
Match 1 – UC Irvine 3, Southeastern 1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 25-16)
Kyra McKelvey paced the Lions with nine kills, while
Gracie Brown,
Melina Gonzalez, and
Claire King notched six kills apiece.
Brea Payne served as SLU's primary setter for the match, posting a season-best and match-high 33 assists.
Melina Gonzalez's 17 digs were a team-high mark, while
Kaelyn Sharp ended the match with nine.
Claire King was Southeastern's blocks leader, totaling four rejections.
The Anteaters had three student-athletes with double-digit kills with Madison Triplett (13), Nicole Feliciano (11), and Taylor Boice (11), all reaching double figures. Jessica Bates (24) and Feliciano (22) had at least 20 assists each. Defensively, Boice led the match with six blocks, with Bates (21) and Whitney Wallace (18) posting double figures in digs.
UC Irvine got off to a strong start, winning the opening set Friday. After UCI began the second set with a lead, a 6-1 run by the Lions evened the score until the final points of the set. An Anteater error, followed by kills from
Brea Payne and
Abigail Bailey, gave the Lions a 24-22 lead. After UCI tied it, an error and a block by Payne and
Gracie Brown secured the second set for SLU.
Southeastern continued its momentum into the third set, taking a 9-2 advantage early. However, UC Irvine found its footing and stayed ahead for the remainder of the set and the match.
Match 2 – UNLV 3, Southeastern 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-16)
Once again, McKelvey led the SLU offense, delivering eight kills against UNLV. Payne recorded 18 assists to carry the top team mark for the second straight contest. Payne also served a pair of aces to tie for the match-high performance. Brown's four blocks were a match-best mark.
UNLV's Basia Latos ended the contest with a match-leading 13 kills, while Jaida Harris trailed closely behind with a dozen. With 30 assists, Kamryn Scroggins finished the match with the most setups. Caleigh King was the only player with double-digit digs, tallying 13.
The Lions will play their final non-conference match of the season Saturday, when SLU faces UC San Diego (3-6) at 1 p.m. CDT at The Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nev. Live stats for the match will be available on the volleyball schedule page at
www.LionSports.net.
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.
