BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University volleyball is in a three-way tie for third place in the Southland Conference as it travels to Commerce for a match against East Texas A&M.

East Texas A&M sits two games out of third.
2025 SCHEDULE: East Texas A&M began the season 0-9, which included losses to Iowa and Notre Dame … The Lions have won three of their last five matches … Most recently, East Texas A&M suffered a sweep to Stephan F. Austin which snapped a two-game winning streak.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Junior outside hitter Gracie Campbell leads the offense with 275 kills while she is second on the team with 20 service aces … Campbell has recorded seven double-doubles this season … Campbell is tied for third in the conference in kills while she is second in points (304) … Graduate student outside / right side hitter M.J. Klaumann is second on the team with 110 kills … Sophomore outside hitter Rendi Fetty leads the team with 23 service aces … Junior setter Haley Mullaney ranks 10th in the conference with 407 assists.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Freshman defensive specialist / libero Jade Washington leads the conference in digs per set (5.84) … Washington ranks second in the conference in total digs (426) … Washington is tied for sixth in Division I in total digs … Sophomore right side / middle blocker Nevaeh Smith leads the team with 48 total blocks (43 block assists, five solo blocks) … East Texas A&M ranks fourth in the conference in digs (1,178).

2024 RECAP: The Lions finished the season 10-19 overall and 7-9 in league play … East Texas A&M was seeded eighth at the Southland Conference tournament … The Lions have qualified for three straight conference tournaments since joining the Southland in 2022.

HEAD COACH: Joe Morales enters his third season at the helm … East Texas A&M's last winning season was in 2021 (14-10 overall) when it was a member of Division II.

• UTRGV (13-7, 8-1)
• SFA (13-7, 8-1)
• Southeastern Louisiana (15-6, 7-2)
• Lamar (13-11, 6-3)
• HCU (11-11, 6-3)
• UIW (10-11, 6-3)
• A&M-Corpus Christi (8-13, 4-5)
• East Texas A&M (6-14, 4-5)
• New Orleans (7-15, 2-7)
• McNeese (6-15, 2-7)
• Nicholls (11-11, 1-8)
• Northwestern State (1-22, 0-9)

LU vs. East Texas A&M: Both teams have met five times since 2022 … East Texas A&M leads the young series, 3-2 … The Cardinals swept the Lions last season in Beaumont … LU hasn't won a match in Commerce after being swept in 2023 and dropping a four-set match in 2022.
LEADING THE CONFERENCE: LU leads the Southland Conference in six of the seven categories — points (1,459.5), assists (1,042), kills (1,101), blocks (210.5), service aces (148) and digs (1,535).

NATIONALLY RANKED: The Cardinals rank fifth in Division I in total attacks (3,274) … LU is also fourth in total digs, tied for sixth in total blocks, 13th in assists and 20th in kills.

GO, GABBY, GO: Gabby Baker is second in Division I in total digs (456) … Gardner-Webb's leads Division I in the category with 485 total digs … Baker is one of three freshmen ranked in the top 10 in total digs in Division I (The other two are: Washington of East Texas A&M and College of Charleston's Juwana Martin (No. 10)) … Baker continues to lead the Southland Conference in total digs while she is second in digs per set (5.03) … Baker is five digs away from tying the fifth most digs in a season in program history (473 digs | Lisa Gaston, 1997) while she is 10 away from tying the fourth most digs in a season (478 digs | Miriam Erickson, 1993).

OFFENSIVE LEADER: Maja Malinowska leads the Southland Conference in kills (299) and points (347) … She ranks second in the conference in points per set (4.39) and third in kills per set (3.78) … Malinowska has recorded 13 double-doubles this season … She's recorded six double-doubles in her last six matches … On the defensive side, Malinowska is eighth in the conference in digs with 270.

BRINGING THE BOOM: Daniella Udegbunam is second in the conference in total blocks with 104 … Udegbunam leads the conference in solo blocks (32) while she is second in block assists (72) … Udegbunam ranks second in Division I in solo blocks and eighth in total blocks.

THIS AND THAT: Alexa Gonzalez is third in the conference in assists (675) and third in service aces (31) … Gonzalez has recorded eight double-doubles this season … Taisha Rhone is sixth in the conference in points (266.5) and sixth in kills (225) … Kinley Elms is ninth in the conference in points (193) and kills (173).

GAME HIGHS: Malinowska's .571 attack percentage vs. Nicholls is the highest in a match since 2018: (Tomar Thomas: 20 kills / .625 vs. Prairie View A&M) … Malinowska's 27 kills in a four-set win over Nicholls are the second most tallied in a four-set match in program history … Baker's 38 digs vs. UL Monroe are the most in a five-set match in program history (Tied for sixth most in a five-set match in all of Division I) surpassing the mark of 37 digs set by Kaeden Robinson in 2023 vs. Nicholls … Udegbunam's 14 total blocks vs. Texas Southern are the second most recorded in a five-set match in program history (Tied for fourth most in a five-set match in all of Division I).

THAT WINNING FEELING: LU is one win away from recording its longest winning streak since 2008 … The Cardinals are trying to post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2008 (17-12) and 2009 (15-14).

HOME SWEET HOME: LU is trying to post back-to-back seasons of .500 or better at home since 2018 (7-5) and 2019 (6-6) … The Cardinals have gone 13-5 at home the last two seasons.

FOUR SETS: The Cardinals are 7-2 in four-set matches … Five of the last six matches have won by four sets.

GETTING RECOGNIZED: LU has had three players recognized as Southland Conference Players of the Week this season: Baker (Defensive Player of the Week / Sept. 22), Malinowska (Offensive Player of the Week / Oct. 20) and Gonzalez (Setter of the Week / Oct. 20).

MILESTONE MOMENT: LU had two setters eclipse the 1,000-assist career mark this season … Jo Moffitt reached 1,005 career assists in her three-year career while Gonzalez now has 1,532 in her two-year career.