NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers (2-2) look to build on its midweek win this weekend as they host the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lady Lions (0-3) and the Alcorn State Lady Braves (2-0) in the UNO Invitational. The Privateers will play Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday at 7 p.m. and Alcorn State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
New Orleans got off to a strong start in front of a vociferous crowd on Tuesday night in a three-set victory over Mississippi Valley State. The Privateers closed the match by holding the Devilettes to nine points in the third set, marking the first time since 2009 that New Orleans held an opponent to single digits in a set.
The Privateers boasted a balanced attack in the home opener on Tuesday with four players going between six and 11 kills.
Cara Sander has led the team in kills in the first four matches, and paces the attack with 59 kills, ranking second in the Southland Conference only trailing Devene Wells-Gibson of Sam Houston State.
The service game has been a strong point in the early season for the Privateers. After 14 aces on Tuesday, New Orleans is now tops in the Southland in service aces with 33. Five players have at least five aces on the season heading into the weekend.
The two opponents the Privateers will face this weekend are squads they have never lost to in school history. New Orleans is 2-0 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 8-0 versus Alcorn State. The Privateers defeated both teams last season in three sets.
The Lady Lions participated in the Southern Miss Invitational and lost all three matches. Arkansas-Pine Bluff closed the tournament by falling just short of their first win of the season, dropping a five-set match against Alabama A&M. Ashlie Jones leads the team with 19 kills, and tallied 13 in the loss to Alabama A&M.
Alcorn State opened the season by defeating Tougaloo in three sets. It was the first season-opening victory for the program in 14 years. The Lady Braves were led in victory by Erica Caddell's 10 kills and had eight aces as a team. On Wednesday, Alcorn State defeated Grambling in five sets, taking the fifth set at 15-12.
