Oct. 18, 2005
Box Score
BEAUMONT, Texas - The Lamar University volleyball team picked up its second consecutive Southland Conference win Tuesday night, a five-game thriller over McNeese State in the Montagne Center.
With the match tied at two games a piece, the Lady Cardinals jumped out to a 4-1 lead in game five, after the Cowgirls took the opening point. Lamar used the momentum of the early lead to hold off surge after surge by McNeese for a 15-13 win.
The Lady Cards jumped out to an early lead in the match, grabbing a 30-20 win in the opener. McNeese battled back in game two, for a 30-24 win, tying the match at a game apiece heading into the break.
With the match tied at a game each, Lamar appeared flat in game three, as McNeese jumped out to a lead and posted a 30-26 win to take a one-game advantage.
The Lady Cardinals wouldn't run and hide from McNeese in game four, as they took control early and coasted to a 30-22 win forcing the deciding game five.
"This win is huge for us, on the standpoint that this team is all about learning to win, and learning how to win," head coach Justin Gibert said. "This match was all about leaning what it takes to get wins, and continue to get wins as conference play continues. Hopefully this will be a big confidence boost for the girls."
Buchi Okoh lead the way for Lamar in the match, posting a match-high, and season-high 25 kills with a .512 hitting percentage, while collecting five blocks. Molli Abel and Nikki Perry also had big nights for Lamar, knocking down 16 and 13 kills respectively, while Lauren Rush pounded out 12 kills.
Another big contributor to the Lady Cards success in the match was setter Ashley Todd who passed out a match-high 65 assists. After a nasty spill in game two, Todd came up limping, but remained in the match to quarterback her team to victory.
The Lamar defense also posted solid numbers, collecting 83 digs and nine blocks. Leading the way for LU was Erica Brown who snagged 22 digs, while Megan Adams collected 16. Andrea Hamilton and Alyssa Parks also had solid performances, collecting 14 and 12 digs respectively.
The win boosts Lamar's conference record to 3-4 and their overall record to 5-14 on the season. They Lady Cardinals will be in action again Friday night at 7:30 p.m. when they host Northwestern State in the Montagne Center.
