Volleyball Ready For Road Match At Sam Houston State

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans volleyball plays its final Southland Conference road match of the season on Saturday, Nov. 5, when the Privateers take on Sam Houston State at 2 p.m.

In last season's match, the Privateers swept Sam Houston State 3-0 for the programs first victory over the opponent. Then-junior middle blocker Keke Richards (Business Management) paced the offense with 13 kills on a .500 hitting percentage with a pair of blocks.

"Sam Houston moves well and they are very tactical with regards to how they run their offense," head coach Millicent Van Norden explained. "For us to win, we will need to effectively execute our game plan with better offensive production from our pin hitters and stable receptions throughout the duration of the match."

New Orleans (4-23, 1-13 SLC) continues its final road swing of the season after a 3-1 setback against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday. UNO averages 11.40 kills on a .151 hitting percentage with 13.89 digs, 10.76 assists, 1.63 blocks and a Southland Conference-best 1.57 service aces.

Freshman setter Sarah Thomas (Accounting & Finance) leads the offense with 9.57 assists per set, ranking third in the conference, sending the bulk of her sets to freshman outside hitter Jordan Yauch (Biological Science) who averages a team-best 2.73 kills and 0.31 service aces, followed by sophomore Blessing Dunn (Business Management) and freshman Brianna Vega (Biological Science) who chip in 2.08 and 2.00. Richards leads the team in hitting percentage with .288, ranking sixth in the conference.

Defensively, sophomore defensive specialist Samantha Uline (Exercise Science) anchors the Privateers with 3.66 digs per set, ranking eighth in the conference, while Dunn contributes 3.03.  At the net, sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Grice (Biology) leads UNO with 0.88 blocks.

Sam Houston State (14-12, 8-5 SLC) enters tomorrow's contest on a three-match winning streak, most recently besting Southeastern Louisiana 3-1. The Bearkats rank second in the Southland Conference in three offensive categories, averaging 13.22 kills on a .209 hitting percentage with 12.44 assists while also recording 16.07 digs, 1.73 blocks and 1.25 service aces.

The Bearkats boast a duo who both average over three kills per set in Brooke White and Jordyn Vaughn who log 3.30 and 3.29, ranking fifth and sixth, while Amanda Gooch ranks third in hitting percentage with .322. Michelle Griffith orchestrates the offense with 9.58 assists, ranking second in the conference. On defense, Sam Houston State has six Bearkats who average over two digs per set, led by Claire Kilpatrick with 3.06.

UNO ends their final road trip on Tuesday, Nov. 8, against Jackson State in a nonconference bout at 6:30 p.m. The Privateers conclude the 2016 campaign at home on Saturday, Nov. 12 when the royal blue & silver host Southeastern Louisiana.