RUSTON – Northwestern State will take a one-game break from conference play as it takes on Louisiana Tech on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

 

Stacey DiFrancesco comes into the match for NSU (7-14, 4-5) on a seven-match double-double streak. She recently put up match-highs in kills with 21 against Lamar on Thursday and 16 versus McNeese State on Saturday. DiFrancesco also tallied a career-high in hitting percentage against the Cardinals (.281) and ranks second in the Southland Conference in kills (3.71 k/s).

 

Furthermore, DiFrancesco was named SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention on Monday for her outstanding performances in the two matches.

 

Nicole Hajka is coming off her best match, as she slammed 15 kills against McNeese State and hit at an impressive .407 mark. She also looked good against Lamar, posting nine kills (.381) and a couple of aces. Hajka is second on the team in aces in conference play with 12, while Mackenzie Neely leads the way with 14.

 

Keelie Arneson recorded a team-high 13 digs in the 3-1 victory over the Cowgirls, and currently ranks top-5 in the SLC in that category, averaging 4.82 digs per set.

 

With the win over McNeese State, the Lady Demons have already matched the same conference win total (four) that they had all of last season. NSU still has seven SLC matches remaining on the year, including three against teams it has already defeated – McNeese, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana.

 

La. Tech (9-14, 0-7 WAC) comes into the match on a four game skid and has dropped seven of its last eight contests. Its most notable non-conference victories came over Rutgers, Houston Baptist and Southeastern Louisiana (three times).

 

The Lady Techsters are led by sophomore outside hitter Clara Vido, who averages 2.91 kills per set. Junior libero Stephany Salas leads the team defensively, with 4.69 digs per set.

 

The Lady Demons defeated La. Tech last year, 3-1, to open the season on Aug. 27, 2010. Though, the Lady Techsters still lead the all-time series, 24-18.

 

After the La. Tech match, NSU will return to conference play when it travels to Arlington, Texas to battle Texas-Arlington on Saturday at 1 p.m.