THIBODAUX, La. – In an impromptu doubleheader, Lamar University volleyball fought their way to a pair of victories over Grambling and Nicholls in nonconference action to push their win streak to three.
 
The Cardinals finished Game 1 hitting 56-18-152 (.250) from the floor with eight aces and six blocks. Lyric Jordan led the team in kills with 18 while Keeley Nellis did so in digs with 23. Maja Malinowska also racked up her third consecutive double-double with 15 kills and ten digs.
 
Lamar hit 49-22-131 (.206) in Game 2 with 15 aces, the most by the Cardinals since 2013, and eight blocks. Jordan added 14 kills to her daily tally while Nellis and Alexa Gonzalez led the team in digs with 19 and 12, respectively. Nellis chipped in nine aces, the most by a Lamar player since Jaime Ewing in 1995, while Emily Moon also set a career high with ten kills of her own.
 
The Cardinals hit the road again next weekend for the Bluff City Showdown in Memphis, Tenn. They start with a Friday doubleheader against Arkansas – Pine Bluff (11 a.m.) and Memphis (7 p.m.) before finishing up against Indiana State at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The match against Memphis will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Game 1: Lamar 3, Grambling 1 (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 28-26)
 
The Tigers got off to a fast 6-1 start in the first set, but Lamar was able to claw back and tie things up in a back-and-forth affair. With the score knotted up at 19-all, Big Red then finished on a 6-1 run of their own with key kills from Jordan and Ashlyn Gamble.
 
After a close start to the second set, Grambling pulled out to six-point advantage of 13-7. An 8-1 Cardinal response, however, pulled Lamar back into striking distance before setting errors bit the Tigers late to seal the set for Big Red.
 
Once again, Grambling jumped on top early in Set 3 and established a 12-6 lead. This time, though, the deficit would prove too much for Lamar to overcome as service errors cost the team late.
 
The fourth set was the inverse of the previous three as it was the Cardinals who came out the gate hot with a 7-2 run. The Tigers would not go away, however, as they managed to fend off three consecutive match points to keep their chances alive. Ultimately, though, Jordan and Malinowska combined for the last six Lamar points to give their team the victory.
 
Game 2: Lamar 3, Nicholls 1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-13)
 
Lamar started strong in the first set before a 12-3 run from the Colonels gave them a lead they would not relinquish. The Cardinals would fight back to within two, but service errors and reception came back to bite them in the end.
 
After the first eight points went back and forth in Set 2, Big Red scored the next seven points which included four aces from Nellis forcing a timeout for Nicholls. The Cardinal dominance continued throughout the set as they cruised en route to tying things up.
 
Both teams alternated leads throughout the third set with the score working to 20-all. The Cardinals then stepped up with a 5-2 run to finish things buoyed by two kills from Malinowska to give them the lead in the match.
 
The fourth set was all Lamar as the Cardinals did not trail after the first point. Big Red rode five aces and just two attacking errors to push their winning streak to three.