BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University concludes its 10-game road swing with a midweek matchup at Prairie View A&M on Tuesday.

The Cardinals are coming off a successful weekend at the Southern Miss Invitational, where they posted a 2-1 record to earn their first two victories of the season.
SETTING THINGS UP: Alexa Gonzalez is approaching a career milestone, needing 53 assists to reach 2,000 for her career … Haley Morton was the last Cardinal to surpass 2,000 career assists, posting 2,112 assists from 2015-17 … Gonzalez ranks first on the team with 140 assists.

OFFENSIVE CATALYST: Maja Malinowska is closing in two career milestones, needing 153 kills to reach 1,000 career kills and 31.5 points to reach 1,000 career points … Chelsea Grant was the last Cardinal to surpass 1,000 career kills from 2013-16 … Malinowska ranks ninth in the Southland Conference with 90 kills and 102 points … She ranks second on the team with 79 digs.

BLOCKING THE OPPOSITION: Saida Maksoud leads the team with 28 blocks while she ranks sixth in the Southland Conference … As a team, Lamar ranks first in the Southland Conference in block assists with 123 and third in total blocks with 68.5.

BEST IN BELIZE: Nisaan Martinez was named Best Opposite at the conclusion of the six-day 2026 NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup … The honor marks her fourth international award since 2024 … During that span, she has helped Belize win two gold medals and one bronze medal … Martinez ranks second on the team with 71 kills and 24 total blocks.

PINPOINT SERVICE: Katelyn Hughes is tied for sixth in the Southland Conference with 11 service aces … Hughes also ranks second on the team with 122 assists.

GO, GABBY, GO: Gabby Baker ranks seventh in the Southland Conference with 128 digs … Baker etched her name into the record book last season, recording 602 digs to tie Andrea Hamilton's single-season program record set in 2007.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE SWAC: Three of Lamar's last four matches came against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents Southern, Jackson State and Prairie View A&M … The Cardinals are 61-3 all-time against SWAC opponents.

ROAD WARRIOR: Lamar's 10-game road trip is the team's longest since opening the 2023 season with a 12-game road swing.

RETURNING HOME: Lamar has won it past two home openers, in 2024 and 2025, marking the program's first consecutive home-opening victories since 2018 and 2019 … The Cardinals have also posted back-to-back winning seasons at home for the first time since 2014-15, compiling a 15-6 record during that span … Lamar opens its home schedule Friday, Sept. 18, against North Dakota in the opening match of the Lamar Invitational.

LAMAR INVITATIONAL: Lamar will host North Dakota, UL Monroe and Sam Houston at the 2026 Lamar Invitational … Since 1990, Lamar has periodically hosted its own tournament, beginning with the Babe Zaharias Classic … During that span, the Cardinals have compiled a 31-18 record in home tournament play … Lamar swept the field with a 3-0 record in 2025, securing the program's first undefeated finish at its home tournament since 2019.

HUGE TURNAROUND: Third-year head coach Ariel Apolinario is looking to become the first coach in program history to record three consecutive winning seasons since Justin Gibert accomplished the feat from 2007-09 … Apolinario helped reverse a trend that saw the program endure 14 consecutive losing seasons from 2010-23. Lamar vs. Prairie View A&M: This marks the 29th meeting between the two programs since 1987 … Lamar holds a 27-1 advantage in the all-time series and swept Prairie View A&M in the most recent matchup in 2025 … The Cardinals have also won each of the last four meetings, a streak that dates back to 2022.
CATCHING UP: Prairie View A&M enters Tuesday's match seeking its first win of the season after opening the year 0-9 … The Panthers are coming off a tough stretch that included three four-set losses and a five-set setback against Texas Tech last Thursday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Iyonna Sherwood, Jr., MH (73 kills | 81.5 points) | Tayler Ruffin, Sr., S (129 assists | 61 digs) | Camille Middleton, So., OH/DS (93 digs) | Valencia Wilder, Sr., MH/RS (22 total blocks | 17 block assists).

FAMILIAR FACE: Daniella Udegbunam competed for Lamar last season and led the Cardinals with 128 total blocks before transferring to Prairie View A&M … Udegbunam ranks second on the Panthers with 20 total blocks and has added 16 kills in 25 sets played this season.

RECAPPING LAST SEASON: Prairie View A&M finished the 2025 season with an 18-12 overall record and claimed the SWAC regular-season title with a 15-1 mark in conference play … Despite earning the No. 1 seed in the SWAC tournament, the Panthers were eliminated in the quarterfinals with a four-set loss to Florida A&M.