BEAUMONT, Texas - Playing a fast, aggressive style from the first serve, Lamar University (3-2) didn't lose a set in its first two matches of the 2019 Katrinka Crawford Invitational, taking down both Prairie View A&M (0-4) and South Dakota State (2-3) in three sets on Friday.

"Our kids did a great job of staying calm when play became chaotic," said head coach Michelle Kuester. "We made sure to put an emphasis on the serve and pass portion of the game and our student-athletes did really well managing the serving pressure. We have things we can continue to build on, but overall our kids are competing incredibly well."

The Cardinal volleyball team was led by double-doubles from Abigale Nash in both matches and an incredible 75 assists from freshman Annika Slovak, an average of nearly 13 assists a set. The middle blockers were also an extremely effective form of offense for Big Red on Friday with Dannisha House and Malaysia Murdock recording 21 kills apiece across two matches.

"Annika did a really great job of reading the floor and knowing the right times to take risks and when to make the easy set," said Kuester. "For a freshman she is doing a great job of running a college-type offense. Malaysia and House are incredible forces at the net. If we can stay in system with those two remaining active we are a very tough team to beat. And Abi is a fantastic all-around player. She can keep us in matches with her defense and offensive efficiency. For a sophomore Abi has done some incredible things this year."

Lamar vs. Prairie View A&M

With a three-set win over Prairie View A&M on Friday, Lamar improved to 21-0 all-time against the Panthers. Lamar won each of its three sets against PVAMU by at least 10 points, and never trailed more than two or three points in any portion of the match. The Cardinals hit .400 in the first set, .429 in the second set, and .400 again in the finale. Prairie View was held to a .133 hitting percentage for the match.

Nash totaled 10 kills, one assist, 11 digs, and a block assist in the first match of the day, earning her third double-double in four matches. She swung for a .217 attack percentage and was perfect in seven receptions and in 16 serves. Slovak had 38 of her 75 assists on the day against Prairie View, and House was a force to be reckoned with in the middle with 12 kills on a .611 hitting percentage. The senior from Houston, Texas, also had a serving ace with a .909 serving percentage, seven digs, and a solo block. Murdock had nine kills on a .600 hitting percentage, and Mercedes Danrich had another nine kills with a .538 percentage. Erin Pequeno had another 15 digs for the Cards in the libero role.

Lamar vs. South Dakota State

Lamar got a bit of revenge on the Jackrabbits Friday evening in front of a large, raucous crowd, improving to 1-2 against South Dakota State all-time with the three-set win. The Cardinals were paced by 37 assists from Slovak and a double-double of 15 kills and 14 digs from Nash. Murdock had 12 kills and House added another nine, and Erin Pequeno recorded double-digit digs yet again with 12. Freshman Kaitlyn Gil was perfect in 19 service receptions and had four kills and three digs.

Lamar dominated the first set with a .433 attack percentage as a team, easily winning the set 25-14, but SDSU came storming back in the second set, leading Lamar by as much as five late in the game, 22-17. Kuester used a time stoppage to get the Cards focused, and Big Red stole back momentum by forcing extra points. The Jackrabbits and Cardinals traded set points several times before LU finally took the second set 31-29 as the crowd went wild. The finale featured a refocused push from the Cards and a stellar defensive performance as they limited the Jackrabbits to just .132 attack percentage as a team in the set. Lamar won the set 25-19 and the match 3-0 to improve to 3-2 on the year.

The Cardinals will close out the 2019 Katrinka Crawford Invitational on Saturday at noon with a match against the University of Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks are 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Crawford Invite after losing to SDSU in five and narrowly beating PVAMU in five on Friday.