NACOGDOCHES, Texas –  Northwestern State volleyball players Glynna Johnson and Mackenzie Neely were named to the SFA Chilly Fillmore's Invitational all-tournament team after each set their career record in kills on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Demons took down Southern Mississippi, 3-1, and Robert Morris, 3-0.
 
The Lady Demons improved to 8-5 overall.
 
“One of the things we talked about this weekend was that we feel like we've taken the program another step since last year,” said co-head coach Hugh Hernesman.
 
Johnson, a freshman middle blocker, recorded her best effort thus far in NSU's morning match against Southern Miss. She hammered down 13 kills while only committing two errors to give her a .458 hitting percentage.
 
Johnson went on to record an additional eight kills in NSU's evening match against Robert Morris.
 
“Glynna Johnson was really efficient in all three matches for us this weekend,” said Hernesman. “She hit for a good percentage, had higher kill numbers and played aggressively.”
 
Neely, who has had a very consistent season for the Lady Demons, recorded 20 kills against Robert Morris to beat her previous record of 16. She committed only four errors, hitting .478 for the match.
 
Neely managed 13 kills in the Lady Demons early match against the Golden Eagles.
 
“Mackenzie rebounded very well today after struggling against SFA,” said Hernesman. “Her numbers and her performance today are more of we expect from her and what she expects from herself.”
 
Stacey DiFrancesco recorded her fifth double-double of the season in the first match of the day with 11 kills and 10 digs.
 
Sophomore Kelly Jimenez added on seven kills and 11 digs in the first match and nine kills in the second match.
 
“We got great contributions from Kelly Jimenez. She really solidifies our team and makes volleyball a little easier.”
 
Libero Keelie Arneson played very well on the defensive end, digging up 24 balls against USM and 15 against RMU.
 
“Keelie had another really good weekend. Her serve was working very well and she did a great job stressing defense.”
 
The Lady Demons fell behind in beginning of the first set against USM until a kill by Vanessa Coleman sparked a 4-0 run and tied the game at 5-5.
 
The set stayed very competitive for the remainder of play with 17 ties and six lead changes. NSU finally pulled out the win after a block by DiFrancesco and Johnson brought the score to 27-25.
 
Northwestern State faltered in the second set, falling behind 5-0 in the beginning.  They were able to comeback and take the lead after an 8-0 run resulted in a 10-7 score.
 
The Lady Demons would not lead for long as USM went on an 8-0 run of their own and took over at 15-10. NSU tied it up one more time at 19-19 after an ace by DiFrancesco but could not maintain and dropped the set 25-19.
 
NSU looked powerful in the third set, leading off with a 7-1 lead. The Golden Eagles played well but were not able to bring it close again. The Lady Demons won the set 25-18.
 
Northwestern State dominated the fourth set after a USM service error sparked an 8-0 run and the Lady Demons took a 22-10 lead. NSU won the set 25-12.
 
NSU's first set against Robert Morris was very competitive with 15 ties and seven lead changes.
 
The Lady Demons fell behind 17-13 before a kill by Neely led to a 5-0 run gave them the lead again at 18-17.  The game went back and forth before NSU pulled out the win at 26-24.
 
The second set started off close but the Lady Demons were able to pull away after a kill by Neely started an 8-0 run. NSU won the set 25-18.
 
RMU led off with a 4-0 run in the third set and maintained their lead through the 6-5 mark. Northwestern State dominated the rest of the set, winning 25-18.
 
“We are going to have to be really good in our system when we play Corpus Christi,” said Hernesman “That means getting good blocks and positioning ourselves a little bit better defensively.”
 
The Lady Demons play their conference home opener on Tuesday night against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Prather Coliseum.