BEAUMONT – With very successful showings in McDonald Gym this season, the Lamar University volleyball team will look to bottle that up and bring it on the road when the Cardinals travel to face Abilene Christian at 6:30 Thursday and Incarnate Word at 2:00 on Saturday, both matches in Southland Conference action.
LU (12-5) is out to a 2-1 start in conference play, both wins were at home in McDonald Gym, where the Cardinals are 8-0. They downed McNeese State and Nicholls 3-1 in their most recent outings, and fell to Sam Houston State 3-1 the weekend prior at Johnson Coliseum.
Abilene Christian is 1-15 on the year, and its one win was against Northwestern State in conference play, and UIW is 3-9 on the season and 1-2 in league play. Its lone win in the Southland Conference was also against Northwestern State. Both the Wildcats and UIW Cardinals will face off Tuesday night.
Lamar is a combined 4-0 against ACU and UIW, two wins over each, and two of the Cardinals' five wins in league play were against them.
Cortney Moore, who joined Lamar's 1,000-kill club after a phenomenal weekend, led the way in both matches last season, 16 kills against ACU and 13 versus Incarnate Word, and
Chelsea Grant combined for 12 blocks between the two matches.
Grant and Moore lead the Cardinals offensively with a 2.75 kills per set average, and
Autumn Taylor follows with an average of 2.24. Grant has a .404 hitting percentage and Moore a .388. Defensively, Grant leads the Southland Conference at 1.50 blocks a set and
Lauren Stahlman tops the Cards with 4.58 digs a game.
TEAM Notes - The Cardinals' 12 wins this season matches the victories from 2013 and 2014 combined
- Lamar has improved its record by seven games from last season. The largest turnaround in school history is 12, when LU won 13 in 2006 and 25 in 2007.
- The last time LU had 12 wins in a season was 2010 (13).
- Moore became the 19
th member of the 1,000-kill club at Lamar University, and is now only 194 kills from notching a spot on the all-time list.
- Grant is only 13 total blocks away from joining LU's career blocks list and is 205 from claiming the No. 1 spot in the record books.
- The Lamar University volleyball team ranks nationally in the Top 100 in several categories: aces/set (74), blocks/set (51), hitting percentage (63), opp. hitting percentage (60), team service aces (63) and team total blocks (35).
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Chelsea Grant ranks sixth in the country with 89 total blocks, 22nd in blocks per set (1.41) and 30th with a .404 hitting percentage.
- The Cardinals return home for four-straight after the ACU, UIW road trip, first on Oct. 13 with a rematch against Sam Houston State.
- After SHSU, the Cardinals will host Central Arkansas (Oct. 15), Northwestern State (Oct. 22) and Stephen F. Austin (Oct. 24).
- Lamar University is a perfect 8-0 in McDonald Gym this season, a first since 2008.
- At McDonald, the Cardinals have a 13.6 kills a set versus 10.7 while on the road, and their attack percentage as a team is .285.
SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN• The Wildcats are 1-15 overall and 1-2 in Southland Conference, their lone win was a 3-0 decision over Northwestern State at Moody Coliseum.
• Jennifer Loerch leads the Wildcats with a 3.33 kills per set average, ahead of Lauren Walker at 2.09 and Kendall Bosse at 2.02. Walker tops the team with a .280 hitting average.
• Loerch ranks third in the Southland Conference in terms of kills per set.
• Sarah Siemens averages 8.84 assists per set.
• Madison Hoover has a 4.47 assists per set average and Lexi Mercier averages 0.97 blocks.
• Both UIW and ACU are set to square off with each other three days before the match.
SCOUTING INCARNATE WORD • The Cardinals enter the week 3-9 on the season and 1-2 in league play, their one win was also against Northwestern State.
• The Cards and Cards share wins over Southern and UT Rio Grande Valley.
• Three UIW players have averages of 2.00 kills per set or better, led by Autumn Lockley at 2.53. Shaina Garza has a 2.13 average and Angelique Vidaurri has a 2.00 mark.
• Defensively, Claudia Hernandez leads the team at 3.55 digs a set and Vidaurri at 0.68 blocks. Sarea Alexander, who leads the team with a .240 hitting average, also blocks at a 0.68 per set clip.
