BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar opens Southland Conference play this week by hosting LSU New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana.
The Cardinals welcome the Privateers on Thursday before facing the Lions later in the week.
CARDINALS AT A GLANCE
SETTING THINGS UP: Alexa Gonzalez joined the 2,000-assist club last weekend, recording 54 assists to increase her career total to 2,018 … She is the first Cardinal to reach the milestone since Haley Morton, who finished with 2,112 assists from 2015-17 … Gonzalez currently leads the team with 211 assists this season.
OFFENSIVE CATALYST: Maja Malinowska reached the 1,000-point milestone last weekend … Entering Saturday's match against Sam Houston needing five points to reach the mark, she recorded 11 points to raise her career total to 1,006 … Malinowska is 121 kills away from reaching the 1,000-career-kill milestone … Chelsea Grant was the last Cardinal to surpass the 1,000-kill milestone, recording 1,100 career kills from 2013-16 … Malinowska ranks ninth in the Southland Conference with 122 kills and 139.5 points … She ranks second on the team with 111 digs.
CONFERENCE OPENER: The Cardinals are seeking their first conference-opening victory since Sept. 25, 2018, when they defeated Incarnate Word in four sets in Beaumont.
BLOCKING THE OPPOSITION: Saida Maksoud leads the team with 37 total blocks and ranks sixth in the Southland Conference … She is third in the league with 36 block assists … As a team, Lamar ranks fourth in the conference with 153 block assists and fifth with 87.5 total blocks.
PINPOINT SERVICE: Katelyn Hughes is tied for seventh in the Southland Conference with 13 service aces … Hughes also ranks second on the team with 186 assists and third with 73 digs.
GO, GABBY, GO: Gabby Baker ranks seventh in the Southland Conference with 175 digs … Baker is 223 digs shy of reaching 1,000 for her career … Megan Schwartz is the last Cardinal to record 1,000 career digs, totaling 1,283 from 2010-14 … 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.
BEST IN BELIZE: Nisaan Martinez ranks second on the team with 113 kills and 31 total blocks … She ranks eighth in the Southland Conference in total blocks … 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.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Cardinals are looking to secure three consecutive winning seasons at home for the first time since 2008-10 … Lamar has already posted back-to-back winning home campaigns for the first time since 2014-15, compiling a 15-6 record during that span.
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.
AROUND THE SOUTHLAND: Southland Conference play begins Wednesday with a pair of matches … Only two teams finished nonconference play with winning records, as Nicholls and Northwestern State each sit one game above .500 … East Texas A&M and Stephen F. Austin enter conference play at one game below .500.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
- A&M-Corpus Christi (3-9, 1-0)
- Northwestern State (8-7)
- Nicholls (7-7, 0-1)
- East Texas A&M (6-7)
- Stephen F. Austin (6-7)
- McNeese (4-7)
- UT Rio Grande Valley (4-7)
- Lamar (3-10)
- Southeastern (3-10)
- Incarnate Word (2-7)
- Houston Christian (2-10)
- LSU New Orleans (2-11)
PRIVATEERS AT A GLANCE
CATCHING UP: The Privateers have dropped nine of their last 10 matches, with their lone victory during that stretch coming in four sets against Cal State Fullerton.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Armie Hall, Fr., RS (148 kills | 29 total blocks) | Laura Piva, Sr., OH (111 kills) | Dafne Eciroglu, Sr., S (180 assists) | Mariana Franco, Jr., S (143 assists) | Nyakuak Lual, Jr., MB (32 total blocks) | Mia Lopez, Fr., L/DS (204 digs).
RECAPPING LAST SEASON: LSU New Orleans finished with an 8-21 record while going 3-13 in conference play last season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Lamar vs. LSU New Orleans: This marks the 57th meeting between the two programs since 1980 … Lamar holds a 33-23 advantage in the all-time series after winning three of the past four meetings … The Cardinals split last season's series with the Privateers, winning in four sets in Beaumont before dropping a road match in straight sets.
LIONS AT A GLANCE
CATCHING UP: Southeastern Louisiana enters the week on a five-match losing streak and carries a 3-10 record into conference play.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Kyra McKelvey, Sr., OPP (151 kills) | Ashley Richardson, Jr., S (268 assists) | Ainsley Driska, Sr., MB (29 total blocks) | Audrey Vielguth, R-So., L/DS (96 digs).
RECAPPING LAST SEASON: The Lions finished 20-9 overall and 12-4 in Southland Conference play last season. Southeastern Louisiana earned the conference tournament's No. 3 seed after winning the regular-season title in both 2023 and 2024.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Lamar vs. Southeastern Louisiana: This is the 49th meeting between the programs since 1984, with Lamar holding a 31-17 advantage in the all-time series ... The Cardinals earned a five-set victory over the Lions on Nov. 6, 2025, snapping a three-year drought and recording their first win against Southeastern Louisiana since 2022.
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