HAMMOND, La. – Both teams went back-and-forth for most of the match, but the Lamar University volleyball squad fell just short of their first win when it a lost to Southeastern Louisiana, 3-2 (24-26, 25-18, 19-25, 25-19, 9-15), at the University Center Thursday evening in the Southland Conference opener for both teams.
 
The Lions (2-11, 1-0 Southland Conference) took a 2-2 tie in the fifth and final set and turned it into an 8-2 lead. The LU (0-13, 0-1) could not cut the lead to anything closer than four. The battle-tested Cardinals used a win in the second set to tie the match at 1-1, and took the fourth set to keep it alive.
 
The second set was neck-and-neck, tied at 13-13. From there, the Cardinals ran off a 10-3 run, started by a kill from Amy Hollowell – on an assist from junior Carlyn Stella. A ball handling error from Southeastern's Haley Baker made it 15-13, and SLU answered on a block from Savannah Alcazar and Elyssa Purcell that cut it to 15-14.
 
Back-to-back attack errors made it 16-15, but Dannisha House's kill and Haley Morton's service ace pushed it to 18-15. After a Chloe Holden kill, Lamar went on a five-point run. House started the run with a block, and joined Amy Hollowell for another to make it 20-16. House grabbed a third-straight block, the third with Tomar Thomas, to make it 21-16, followed by a Lion attack error. The final point of the 10-3 stretch ended like it began, with a kill from Hollowell – assisted by Morton.
 
The Cardinals closed out the second with a Thomas kill and block by Hollowell and Ivette Dim. 
 
Southeastern jetted out to a 13-8 lead in the fourth set, but Big Red worked it back to take a 19-18 lead before service error tied it at 19. Lamar grabbed the lead back with a kill from Hollowell and made it 21-19 with a Dim crush. After SLU gave LU a point on an attack error by Madi Odom, Chelsea Grant popped two-straight kills and Hollowell ended it with an ace from Hollowell.
 
After Big Red recovered from an 8-1 lead in the first set, it turned into an epic battle. LU was able to eventually tie it at 13-13, and from there neither team could run off more than two-straight points. House put a kill on the ground to make it 24-24, but Holden and Pucell put down back-to-back kills to end the set.
 
Chelsea Grant jumped back into double-figures in kills for the 10^th time this season; Thursday she had 13, followed by 11 from Hollowell. Hollowell recorded the second-highest hitting percentage for the Cards in the match, .308, only behind Dim's .353. Dim finished with eight kills and freshman Dannisha House had seven – her season best.
 
Hollowell registered a double-double with 10 digs, and also recorded a service ace. It was the third double-double of her career and second of the season.
 
Morton picked up her season-high assist count with 37, and Carlyn Stella registered career-high 19 digs – team high on the season.
 
Holden led all players with 14 kills in the match, and Purcell added another double-figure number with 10 kills – she also had 10 digs for a double-double.
 
As a team, the Cardinals earned 72 points, 14.4 points per set. They accounted for 46 kills, 10 aces and 16 blocks, which doubled the previous season best. The downfall was on 30 attack errors and 10 service errors. SLU earned 68 total points.
 
Lamar hit for a team .103 hitting percentage, falling behind .151 from the Lions.
 
Big Red returns the floor looking for its first win against New Orleans at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The final match of the brutal 15-match road swing is at Houston Baptist on Oct. 1. The LU home opener will on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. against Central Arkansas.