NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers open conference play this week when they take on Nicholls and McNeese on Thursday and Saturday respectively. Both matches will be at the Human Performance Center and will also be carried on ESPN+.
Thursday night's match will serve as Faculty Appreciation and Academic Honors Night.
New Orleans went 5-8 through their non-conference slate. Last week, the Privateers finished off non-conference play in the Pelican Invitational which was co-hosted by New Orleans and Tulane.
Ania Anderson earned All-Tournament honors after her individual performance which featured 34 kills and 18 digs against Tulane, Providence and Alabama State. In the process, Anderson set a new career-high for kills in a match with 13 against Providence.
The Privateers finished non-conference play fourth in kills per set and third in assists per set.
Courtney Roundtree is tied for sixth in kills per set with 3.02 while
Defne Eciroglu is fifth in assists per set at 7.07.
In the series history, New Orleans is 44-35 all-time against Nicholls. The Privateers have won 22 of 32 matches played in the Big Easy. McNeese leads the all-time series against New Orleans 36-20. In New Orleans, the Cowgirls have a narrow edge in wins (11-10) against the Privateers.
After this week, the Privateers will be on the road for most of October with five of their next seven matches taking place in Texas.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Nicholls (10-3) sports the best record of anyone in the conference heading into league play. The Colonels are third in points per set (16.10) and first in opponent attack percentage (.138). Tamara Chavez leads the conference in kills with 186 total (4.77 per set). Chavez has won a Southland Offensive Player of the Week award.
McNeese enters this week at 4-8 in non-conference play. The Cowgirls have wins over Tulane, Southern Illinois, Alcorn State and Southern. D'Nari Mills leads the team in kills per set and is eighth in the conference with 3.0. A new look Cowgirls roster consists of 15 newcomers, eight of whom are freshmen.
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