HAMMOND, La. – Despite outhitting their opponents Thursday evening, the shorthanded Lamar University volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision at Southeastern Louisiana, 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-17, 26-24) at the University Center.
 
The Cardinals (6-11/0-6 Southland) put up a strong fight keeping it close in all four sets (except for the third that saw SLU pull away midway through the set). The loss forces the Cards to now look to their next match – New Orleans – to try and get in the conference win column.
 
Led by 10 kills from four players – Paige Dugan, Kaitlyn Gil, Tytiana Johnson and Wiktoria Warpechowska – the Cardinals out hit Southeastern Louisiana by nearly 50 points, but LU was unable to come up with the key point when they needed it.
 
Big Red finished the night 48-16-138 (.237), to go along with four service aces, but LU was hurt by nine service errors. Amber Johnson recorded six kills on 20 swings and led the team with 13 digs while setter London Hatch was key at the net with a team-high six blocks.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday when the travel to the Big Easy to face New Orleans for the third of what will be four meetings this season. The Cardinals are 2-0 against the Privateers this season but both of those were non-conference contests and neither were in New Orleans. Saturday's match will get under way at 1 p.m.