Volleyball Opens Three-Match Road Swing Saturday At Southeastern Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans volleyball team begins a series of three-consecutive road matches on Saturday, Oct. 8 when the Privateers take on Southeastern Louisiana in a Southland Conference tilt. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.

UNO looks to build off of last season's success against the Lions, besting the opposition 3-0 at the Lakefront and 3-1 in Hammond, Louisiana, to get their first conference win of the season. All-time, the Privateers hold a commanding 39-20 record against Southeastern.

"Southeastern Louisiana is a familiar opponent, one we play against twice a year," head coach Millicent Van Norden explained. "We know how they play and we need to capitalize on it. They have a strong attack from the right side of the court offensively. We need to do a solid job of slowing it down in order to leave with a victory."

New Orleans begins the road swing after hosting McNeese State on Tuesday, Oct. 4, dropping a 3-1 decision to give the Privateers a 3-14 overall record and 0-4 mark in Southland Conference action.

UNO averages 11.2 kills per set on a .143 hitting percentage with 10.5 assists, 12.8 digs, 1.6 blocks and a Southland Conference-best 1.5 service aces. Freshman setter Sarah Thomas (Accounting and Finance) orchestrates the offense with 9.20 assists per set, the third-highest mark in the SLC, with freshman outside hitter Jordan Yauch (Biological Science) receiving the bulk of the passes with 2.84 kills per set, the ninth-best mark in the conference, followed by sophomore Blessing Dunn (Business Management) with 2.37 and freshman Brianna Vega (Biological Science) with 2.15. Sophomore outside hitter Cara Sanders (Marketing) is the Privateers' top threat from the service line with .32 aces per set, tied for fourth in the SLC.

Sophomore defensive specialist Samantha Uline (Exercise Physiology), fresh off her career-high 27 digs outing against McNeese State, anchors the defense with the seventh-best mark in the Southland Conference in digs at 3.75, followed by Dunn and Yauch with 2.83 and 2.10. Sophomore Kaitlyn Grice (Biology) leads the team with .86 blocks per set.

Southeastern Louisiana was last in action on Wednesday, Oct. 5, when the Lions fell to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 3-0 to drop their season record to 2-14 overall. SLU is 1-2 in Southland Conference play.

Southeastern is averaging 10.5 kills on a .122 hitting percentage with 9.7 assists, 13.8 digs, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 service aces. The Lions' offense is led by Chloee Holden who averages 2.05 kills on a .166 clip, both team-highs, while Haley Baker and Elyssa Purcell share the role of setter for Southeastern with averages of 4.95 and 3.96 respectively.

On defense, Monica Ramon paces the team with 3.69 digs, ranking eighth in the Southland Conference. Rachael Bunn leads the Lions at the net with .63 blocks per set.
Following the match with the Lions, UNO's road trip continues with a contest against Northwestern State on Thursday, Oct. 13 in Natchitoches, Louisiana, at 7 p.m. The Privateers return to the Human Performance Center on Tuesday, Oct. 18,, when they host Nicholls at 7 p.m. Admission is free.