NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers volleyball team will open their Southland slate with a pair of home matches at the Human Performance Center. It begins Saturday with a 1 p.m. tilt against Lamar. On Tuesday, the Privateers welcome the defending champion, Southeastern with a first serve scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
New Orleans is coming off the Pelican Invitational where they went 0-4 last weekend.
Chelsea Daffin was the Privateers' All-Tournament representative. She had 32 kills and 26 digs in 13 sets. Daffin also added three service aces to her season total.
For the season, Daffin is on the precipice of breaking past the 100-kill mark, needing two more to accomplish that mark. Daffin has already surpassed 100 digs and stands at a team-leading 121 entering the weekend.
Last weekend,
Courtney Roundtree added 30 kills and seven total blocks to her season marks. Roundtree currently leads the team in points at 118.5 and has 31 total blocks in 42 sets.
Buse Kocakaya had 23 kills while playing in nine of the team's 13 sets last weekend.
Jaedyn Newman finished with 20 kills in 11 sets played at the Pelican Invitational.
In 2023, the Privateers won both meetings against Lamar in three sets. Roundtree and Kocakaya combined for 19 kills in the second meeting against the Cardinals.
Southeastern won both matches against the Privateers in three sets last year.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Lamar (8-5, 0-1) has shown vast improvement from last year when they went 2-27. Ariel Apolinario is in his first season as head coach in Beaumont after a four-year stint at Navarro JC that included a 99-31 record and two NJCAA tournament appearances. Maja Malinowska is the reigning Southland Offensive Player of the Week and leads the conference in kills per set (4.07).
Southeastern (9-4, 1-0) is on a nine-match winning streak which started with a victory over preseason favorite, Stephen F. Austin at the Borderland Invitational in El Paso. The Lions defeated Lamar 25-11, 25-16, 25-23 on Thursday night. Southeastern's defense has limited opponents to a .165 attack percentage and 11.2 kills per set, both the lowest in the Southland. India Bennett leads the conference in hitting percentage at .387.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
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