By: Robbie Kleinmuntz, Volleyball SID
NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State volleyball team will host a pair of conference matches this weekend at Prather Coliseum, welcoming undefeated Texas-San Antonio on Thursday at 7, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 2.
Stacey DiFrancesco will look for her 10th consecutive double-double for NSU (8-15, 4-6) after posting a match-high 15 kills and a career-high 29 digs against Texas-Arlington last Saturday. She currently ranks first in the Southland Conference in kills, averaging 4.17 per set on the season in conference play.
Defensively, Keelie Arneson places seventh in digs in the SLC, averaging 4.46 per set against conference foes. Arneson has recorded double-digits in digs in 22 of 23 matches for NSU this season.
For the second straight week, the Lady Demons are the SLC's best serving team in conference play. They average 1.71 aces per set, as Mackenzie Neely and Nicole Hajka have fired 14 each. Neely also leads the team in blocks, as she has all season, with 66 on the year.
“We served really well against UTA, especially in the two sets that we won,” said co-head coach Hugh Hernesman. “When we serve well, it puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team's defense and it hinders their passing.”
The Lady Demons will have their work cut out for them as they try to knock off powerhouse UTSA (16-8, 10-0). The Roadrunners have not only cruised through every SLC contest so far, but are also a perfect 30-0 in sets.
UTSA has a strong selection of attackers, with six different players averaging over a dig per set in conference play. Junior Whitney Walls leads the way with 244 kills (2.94 k/s) on the season, while senior Kelsey Jewasko anchors the difference with 458 digs (5.45 d/s). Junior setter Kelsey Schwirtlich ranks first in the conference in assists by a wide margin, averaging 10.65 per set.
The Roadrunners have not been defeated since Sept. 17 when they dropped a 3-1 affair to No. 10 Texas on the road.
TAMUCC (12-15, 4-6) is coming off a 3-2 victory over McNeese State, and will travel to Central Arkansas on Thursday before coming to Natchitoches. Freshman libero Micah Nolan ranks fourth in the SLC in digs (5.05 d/s) for the Islanders, while freshman setter Logen Bourque places top-10 in assists (9.06 a/s).
“This is a big week for us,” Hernesman said. “UTSA is an extremely physical team, both attacking and blocking, while Corpus Christi is a solid team that we went five sets with last year. The key for us will be our mentality and sticking to what we've been practicing for the entire weekend.”
The Lady Demons will be sporting their pink uniforms on Thursday for Dig Pink night to further Breast Cancer Awareness. On Saturday, the Lady Demons will be hosting a Halloween Costume Contest in addition to a Greek Challenge in Prather Coliseum.
