BEAUMONT, Texas — The final two weeks of the regular season will feature three matches against two teams that are in the top five and contending for a top seed.

Lamar University volleyball travels to Southeastern Louisiana Thursday for a marquee matchup.

The Cardinals are tied for third place in the latest Southland Conference standings, one game behind second place Southeastern Louisiana.
CATCHING UP: The Lions have won seven of their last eight matches … Currently riding a five-game winning streak, Southeastern Louisiana has not dropped a set since Oct. 16. … The Lions sport a 10-0 record at home … Since 2024, the Lions have gone 22-1 at home with their last loss suffered in the Southland Conference tournament title match back on Nov. 24.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Junior opposite Kyra McKelvey leads the Southland Conference in hitting percentage (.373) while she ranks third in both points (340.5) and kills (316) … Sophomore setter Ashley Richardson leads the way with 492 assists while senior Peyton Stokley has 437 assists … Stokley ranks ninth in the conference with 28 service aces … As a team, the Lions rank third in hitting percentage (.250) and fourth in points (1,412).

DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Redshirt senior India Bennett is tied for the conference lead in total blocks (117) while she leads the league in block assists (97) … Redshirt senior libero / defensive specialist Lexi Gonzalez has a team high 284 digs … Southeastern Louisiana ranks third in the conference in total blocks (200).
   

• SFA (16-7, 11-1)
• UTRGV (16-7, 11-1)
• Southeastern Louisiana (18-6, 10-2)
• Lamar (16-11, 9-3)
• UIW (13-11, 9-3)
• HCU (12-13, 7-5)
• A&M-Corpus Christi (9-15, 5-7)
• East Texas A&M (7-16, 5-7)
• New Orleans (7-18, 2-10)
• McNeese (6-18, 2-10)
• Nicholls (11-14, 1-11)
• Northwestern State (1-25, 0-12)

 
Southeastern Louisiana vs. Lamar: LU is 30-17 vs. Southeastern Louisiana since 1984 … The Lions have won seven of the last eight over the Cardinals … LU's last win over the Lions was on Nov. 3, 2022 by way of four sets in Beaumont … The last time the Cardinals won in Hammond, La. was on Oct. 26, 2017.
 
LEADING THE CONFERENCE: LU leads the Southland Conference in six of the seven categories — points (1,664.5), assists (1,186), kills (1,255), blocks (232.5), service aces (177) and digs (1,741).

NATIONALLY RANKED: The Cardinals rank fourth in Division I in both digs and attacks (3,790), 18th in assists, tied for 18th in service aces and 22nd in total blocks.

GO, GABBY, GO: Gabby Baker ranks second in Division I in digs with 532 … The leader is Gardner-Webb's Nalani McBride with 590 digs … Baker is one of four liberos in the nation with 500 or more digs … Baker continues to lead the Southland Conference in digs while she is second in digs per set (5.12) … Baker is two digs shy of tying the second most digs tallied in a season in program history (534 digs | Miriam Erickson, 1993) … Baker is 70 digs away from tying the most digs in a season in program history (602 digs | Andrea Hamilton, 2007) … Dating back to 2012, Baker becomes the first Cardinal to tally 500 or more digs in a season.

OFFENSIVE LEADER: Maja Malinowska leads the Southland Conference in kills (340) and points (397) … She ranks second in the conference in points per set (4.41) … Malinowska also ranks sixth in the conference in service aces (32) and seventh in digs (308) … Malinowska has recorded 15 double doubles this season … She's recorded eight double doubles in her last nine matches.

BRINGING THE BOOM: Daniella Udegbunam is tied for the conference lead in total blocks with (117) … Udegbunam leads the conference in solo blocks (36) while she ranks second in block assists (81) … She is tied for 15th in Division I in total blocks while she is second in solo blocks … Udegbunam becomes the first Cardinal to tally 100 or more total blocks in a season since 2022 (Tytiana Johnson, 103 total blocks | Wiktoria Warpechowska, 100 total blocks).

THIS AND THAT: Taisha Rhone is fifth in the Southland Conference in kills (272) and points (329) … Alexa Gonzalez is third in the conference in assists (804) and second in service aces (37) … Gonzalez is 196 assists away from reaching 1,000 for the season … The last time an LU setter tallied 1,000 or more assists in a season was in 2022 (London Hatch, 1,140 assists) … Kinley Elms ranks ninth in the conference in kills (180) and 10th in points (200).

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 surpassing the mark of 37 digs set by Kaeden Robinson in 2023 vs. Nicholls (Baker's 38 digs are currently tied for eighth most in a five-set match in Division I this season)  … Udegbunam's 14 total blocks vs. Texas Southern are the second most recorded in a five-set match in program history (Udegbunam's 14 total blocks are currently tied for fourth most in a five-set match in Division I this season) ... Gonzalez recorded 55 assists in a pair of four set matches vs. UIW and Nicholls, which is currently tied for 19th most in a four set match in Division I … Rhone's seven service aces vs. Nicholls on Nov. 1 are tied for the fourth most in a three set match in Division I this season.

THAT WINNING FEELING: LU sports the ninth longest active winning streak in Division I, currently tied with Hofstra, Northern Kentucky, Quinnipiac and Drake … The Cardinals have recorded four nine-game winning streaks in program history (1976, 1985, 1986 and 2001) … In 16 seasons (2009-2024), the Cardinals had never posted a winning streak of more than five games.  

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) … Prior to 2018 and 2019, LU had not posted back-to-back seasons of .500 or better at home since 2014 (5-3) and 2015 (10-4) … LU has currently won five straight matches at home for the first time since 2015 … The Cardinals have gone 15-5 at home the last two seasons.

FOUR SETS: The Cardinals are 7-2 in four set matches … Five of the last nine matches have been won in 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 1,008 career assists in her three-year career while Gonzalez now has 1,661 in her two-year career.