Box Score

HAMMOND – Mackenzie Neely and Stacey DiFrancesco led the way for the Northwestern State volleyball team as the Lady Demons defeated Southeastern Louisiana in a 3-0 sweep on Saturday afternoon.
 
The 25-14, 25-16, 25-15 win increases the Lady Demons winning streak to six matches and moves them up to 18-8 overall and 10-4 in Southland Conference play. The Lady Lions fall to 10-15, 5-10.
 
The 10 SLC wins are the most in NSU volleyball history.
 
“It feels good to get this win in particular,” said NSU co-head coach Hugh Hernesman. “Not necessarily because it's the 10^th win but because I think the next couple of weeks are going to be pretty challenging.”
 
Neely and DiFrancesco combined for 28 kills, hammering down 14 apiece. DiFrancesco also tacked on nine digs while Neely added seven digs and two aces.
 
Emily Sweet quarterbacked the offense, putting up 38 assists.
 
“Emily Sweet did a great job distributing the ball,” said Hernesman. “We wanted to get Mackenzie going again on the right and I thought she set the right side very well.”
 
Keelie Arneson set the pace defensively, digging up 20 attacks.
 
“Keelie silently gets her digs,” said Hernesman. “She is just so sound fundamentally and so fast that there are some balls that I don't think some people could get to and she does.”
 
Southeastern came out looking good in the first set, taking an early 3-1 lead. The Lady Demons retaliated after an SLU attack error sparked a 14-0 run to put the score at 16-4.
 
The Lady Lions were unable to come back as NSU won the set 25-14.
 
NSU came out hot in the second set, gaining a four-point advantage as the score read 5-1. SLU fought back, tying the set up at 5-5 and 6-6.
 
A Lady Lion block error led to an 11-0 run for NSU, giving them a 20-8 lead. Southeastern could not gain momentum as they dropped the game 25-16.
 
The third set was back and forth in the beginning with two ties and two lead changes by the 11-point mark. The Lady Demons maintained their lead until a bad set by Emily Sweet gave SLU a 10-9 advantage.
 
NSU answered with seven straight points, putting the score at 16-10. Southeastern attempted to come back, cutting the deficit to four at the 19-15 mark.
 
The Lady Demons ended the game on a 6-0 run, defeating SLU 25-15.
 
Northwestern State returns home next Friday to match up against Stephen F. Austin. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Prather Coliseum.