BEAUMONT – Sitting on three-straight losses, the Lamar University volleyball squad will get its chance to snap a cold spell with an action-packed week that includes a single home match in a three-contest week, which starts with Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in McDonald Gym.
All three matches will be in Southland Conference play, and will wrap up at Nicholls on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and McNeese on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
The home match on Tuesday has been designated as the Dig Pink match to help raise awareness for breast cancer. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match.
The Cardinals (3-16, 3-4 Southland Conference) have suffered some tough luck lately with five-set losses to Northwestern State and Incarnate Word as well as another loss to defending league champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Despite the skid, Lamar has earned more than 16 points a set, which is only a point shy less than head coach Alan Edward's goal.
Chelsea Grant leads three other Cardinals who average more than two kills a set in the last three contests. She has a 3.77 kills mark, followed by Muielle Hlavac (3.00),
Tomar Thomas (2.42) and
Ivette Dim (2.31).
Haley Morton has been a staple in the last three contests with a 10.85 assists per set mark and 2.92 digs per set average. She had a double-double against Northwestern State and Incarnate Word. The loss to Corpus snapped a three-match run of double-doubles.
Abilene Christian (7-17, 6-3) sits in fourth place in the Southland Conference standings. The Wildcats, who are 2-7 in an opponent's gym, have won their last two matches and four of the last six.
Jacey Smith is ACU's top hitter with a 2.83 kills per set mark, and has a .137 attack percentage that is third on the team. Lauren Walker has the top hitting percentage on the team, .242.
Defensively, the Wildcats rank fifth in the league in opponent's hitting percentage, at .173, which largely has to a ranking third in blocks, 2.56. Two players average over a block a set, Walker (1.10) and Lexi Mercier (1.06). Amanda Chapa has a digs mark of 4.45 as set, followed by Kendall Bosse at 2.20 and Dorothy Swanson at 2.14.
Bosse (23) and Smith (20) lead a second-place charge in service aces.
Nicholls (5-18) starts its week winless in league play, but faces New Orleans – who has one win – on Tuesday. Nicholls has suffered three-straight losses and 14 of their last 15, the lone win was a non-conference matchup against Mississippi Valley State.
Kali Schwartz is the top Colonel hitter with a 2.21 kills a set mark, followed by Kaci Eaton at 2.05. Stephanie Tobison and Brieanna Hill are just shy of two at 1.92 and 1.90, respectively. Jade Piper leads with 5.13 assists a set and Lucija Barac has a team-best 25 service aces, which is second in the league.
Alexa Perry is the team-leader in digs with 4.16 a set, followed by Tobison, Eaton and Ashley Marroccoli all with more than two a game.
McNeese (7-15, 3-4) is tied with the Cardinals in the standings at seventh. The Cowgirls start the week on a hot-streak with three-straight wins over New Orleans, ACU and Nicholls.
Katleyn Elliott nears three kills a set to lead McNeese and has a .233 attack percentage, just short of the team best .238 from Rebecca Korenek. Alexandra Aguilar is second in the Southland Conference in assists per set, 9.69.
Defensively, Bridget Justis tops the team with 4.38 digs a set, and Adison Giambrone and Keegan Nelms are tied behind her with 2.57.
Following the Louisiana road swing, the Cardinals return home for three-straight that starts with Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 in McDonald Gym.
