BEAUMONT, Texas – With two games left in the regular season and team history on the line, Lamar University volleyball hits the road for a pair of contests that will decide the outcome of their year. They get the inverse of last week's slate as they travel to Lake Charles to take on McNeese on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. before finishing at Nicholls on Saturday at 1 p.m. The match against McNeese will be streamed on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
Lamar (14-12, 6-8 SLC) came up with two massive five-set wins in their final two games at McDonald Gym this season. They fought back from down 2-0 against Nicholls to get the win on Thursday before outlasting McNeese on Saturday.
KEY STORYLINES
Big Red currently sit in seventh place in the Southland standings alongside East Texas A&M, who they hold a tiebreaker over, and one game ahead of McNeese. The Cardinals must stay in the top eight for their first conference tournament berth since 2011.
There are multiple scenarios for Lamar to qualify for the postseason, the easiest of which would be to win on Thursday. They also clinch a spot by splitting their two games along with an East Texas A&M loss this week.
Head coach Ariel Apolinario has anchored an impressive turnaround in his first year at the helm as Lamar's 12-win increase from last season currently ranks as the third best mark in the country. A win this week would secure the team's first winning record since 2009.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alexa Gonzalez took home her second SLC setter of the week honor last week after a pair of strong performances. She recorded 46 assists against Nicholls, her most in a conference game in her career, while posting 33 more against McNeese to go with ten digs, four kills and four aces.
Gonzalez is a part of Lamar's freshmen trio that rank in the top ten nationally among freshmen in various statistical categories. She ranks fifth in aces (0.43/set) while placing tenth in assists (9.20/set). Meanwhile,
Maja Malinowska sits fifth in kills (3.70/set) while
Keeley Nellis is seventh in digs (4.33/set).
Lauren Tishkoff came up big for the Cardinals last week off the bench. Against the Colonels, she logged eight kills and four blocks in three sets of action, both her best in her time at Lamar.
OPPONENT INFO: McNeese (9-17, 5-9 SLC)
Time: Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Series Record: LU 47-35
Last Meeting: LU 3-2 (11/9/24)
After getting their first home win against the Cowgirls since 2015, the Cardinals look to change their recent luck in Lake Charles where they have lost eight of their last nine trips. Lamar has not beaten their border rivals twice in a season since 2008.
McKenzie Moore, the conference leader in points (4.98/set) and kills (4.51/set), racked up 29 kills on Saturday, the second most by a Southland player this season behind Malinowska who recorded 33 against Sam Houston. Moore was one of two Cowgirls to post over 20 digs as her 21 just trailed teammate Bailey Tillman who had 24.
OPPONENT INFO: Nicholls (7-18, 2-12 SLC)
Time: Saturday at 1 p.m.
Series Record: LU 34-14
Last Meeting: LU 3-2 (11/7/24)
Lamar has two wins against Nicholls already this season including a win in Thibodaux back in September during nonconference play. The Colonels gave Big Red a scare last Thursday after taking the first two sets largely behind the performances of Leah Linares Castro (18 kills) and Kenley Nonato (20 digs).
