BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University volleyball's eight-game road trip comes to an end Tuesday, Sept. 16 when it takes on the University of Louisiana Monroe for a midweek contest.

The Cardinals are trying to shake off a four-game losing skid after competing at the challenging Carrie Yerty Classic over the weekend in Memphis, Tenn.

LU finally returns to home to the McDonald Gym this weekend for the two-day Lamar Invitational.
 
UL Monroe is off to a 6-4 start, its best start since 2021.

The Warhawks are currently 2-2 against Southland Conference opponents with wins over Northwestern State and McNeese.

This past weekend, UL Monroe notched a four-set win over Jackson State.

Freshman outside hitter Aniya Hall leads the offensive charge with 133 kills and 140 points. She tallied a season-high 22 kills against McNeese.

Junior setter Morgan Howard has a team-high 199 assists and 24 service aces.

On the defensive front, junior middle blocker Kenzie Behl leads the way with 30 total blocks and 25 block assists while redshirt junior defensive specialist Briana Raney has a team-high 86 digs.

UL Monroe ranks sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in kills (392), seventh in points (497.5) and ninth in blocks (58.5).

The Warhawks boast nine upperclassmen and nine underclassmen on the roster. Eight of the nine underclassmen are freshmen.

All in all, the team returns six players from the 2024 roster.

UL Monroe finished 4-24 overall and 0-16 in conference play last fall. The 18-game losing streak was erased earlier this season on Aug. 29 with a sweep of Jackson State.

The Warhawks had not won a home match since Nov. 10, 2023. The skid came to an end this past weekend.

UL Monroe has yet to travel outside of Louisiana, playing its first 12 matches within the state.

Head coach Reid Gann is in his first season at the helm after putting together a record of 131-60 in six seasons at NAIA member Blue Mountain Christian.
   
LU vs. ULM: The Cardinals are 23-6 all-time vs. the Warhawks since the first meeting in 1983 … UL Monroe has won five of the last six matches … Both teams last met in 2021 … The Warhawks won the last meeting in five sets … LU's last win over UL Monroe came in 2019 … From 1983-2003, the Cardinals won 20 straight matches over the Warhawks.
Gabby Baker enters the week as the only freshman ranked in the top five in NCAA Division I in total digs.

She's currently tied for fifth alongside Coppin State's Coco Figueroa and Cal State Northridge's Paige Sentes.

Baker leads the Southland Conference with 205 digs.

She's tallied 20 or more digs in four matches. Baker had a game-high 29 digs in a five-set match against Tulane.

Baker's 10 service aces are tied for 10th most in the Southland Conference.
 
Maja Malinowska remains the Southland Conference's leader in kills and points.

Malinowska has 123 kills in 35 sets played while she's recorded 141 points.

She's recorded six games with double figures in both kills and digs.

Against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 7, Malinowska recorded a season-high 19 kills.

In just two years, she has tallied 458 career kills. Malinowska is 42 away from reaching the milestone of 500 career kills.

On the defensive side, she ranks second on the team in digs with 109.
 
Lyric Jordan recorded a season-high 18 kills against the University of Tennessee at Martin this past weekend.

Jordan is now at 697 career kills, just three away from reaching 700.

She currently ranks second on the team with 112 kills and 123.5 total points.
 
The Cardinals lead the Southland Conference in points (641.5), assists (458), kills (479) and blocks (99.5).

LU ranks second in the conference in service aces (63).

Daniella Udegbunam sits atop the leaderboard with 50 total blocks (39 block assists and 11 solo blocks).

Over the weekend, Udegbunam matched her season-high of seven total blocks against UT Martin.

She also tallied seven total blocks against Northern Illinois and Sam Houston.

Alexa Gonzalez ranks fifth in the conference in assists with 243 while she is tied for sixth in service aces with 13.

As a team, LU entered the week leading NCAA Division I in digs.

The Cardinals ranked 11th nationally in team total blocks, tied with Valparaiso.