Box Score

BEAUMONT, Tex. – Stacey DiFrancesco, Mackenzie Neely and Caiti O'Connell all had double-figure kill performances as the Northwestern State volleyball team defeated Lamar in a five-set nail-biter on Thursday evening in McDonald Gym.
 
The 25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 25-14,15-11 win marks NSU's first victory over the Lady Cardinals since the 2005 season.
 
The Lady Demons improve to 10-5, 2-1 as LU drops to 9-7, 1-2.
 
“This one was a real dog fight,” said NSU co-head coach Hugh Hernesman. “I give Lamar a ton of credit, they played very well.
 
“We were down 2-1 going into the fourth match and we were just able to find a way to recapture who we are and not let the bad stuff get to us.”
 
O'Connell posted the highest kill mark of the match with 19 while also tying her career record. DiFrancesco recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 16 kills and 16 digs.
 
Neely hammered down 13 kills and a season-high seven blocks. Vanessa Coleman added on six blocks.
 
“I think all of our hitters did a really nice job when it counted tonight,” said Hernesman. “We also did a great job blocking tonight which has been a big focus of ours in practice.”
 
Keelie Arneson had an outstanding match defensively, digging up 29 balls.
 
“Keelie played great defense tonight,” said Hernesman. “She was all over the place was very effective for us.”
 
The Lady Cardinals came out on fire in the first set, taking a 3-0 lead.  A 4-0 run at the 4-3 mark gave Lamar their biggest lead of the set at 8-3.
 
Fueled by a series of blocks from Vanessa Coleman, Mackenzie Neely and Stacey DiFrancesco, the Lady Demons fought back and took the lead at the 17-14 mark after a 10-2 run.
 
Glynna Johnson closed out the set with three service aces in a row and the Lady Demons won 25-21.
 
Lamar started off hot again in the second set, leading through the 6-5 mark. A kill by DiFrancesco gave the Lady Demons the lead at the 7-6 mark but they quickly fell behind again.
 
NSU led one more time at the 9-8 mark before LU took control of the set. Northwestern State kept it close but fell 25-22.
 
In the third set, the Lady Demons took an early 6-2 lead and managed to hold on to it through the 8-7 mark. The set went back and forth through the 13-13 mark until a couple of 3-0 runs from Lamar put the score at 19-16.
 
NSU fought hard but dropped the set 25-23.
 
The fourth set started off very competitive with three ties and three lead changes before either team hit the ten-point mark. A kill by DiFrancesco tied the game at 6 and sparked a 4-0 run for the Lady Demons.
 
NSU dominated the rest of the set, taking down the Lady Cardinals 25-14.
 
The fifth set started off great for Northwestern State as Neely landed a kill to take the first point. Although there were five ties early on, the Lady Demons never trailed.
 
NSU pulled away after an LU service error sparked a 5-0 run. Northwestern State won the set 15-11.
 
The Lady Demons head to Lake Charles to match up against McNeese State on Saturday afternoon. The team returns home next Thursday to play Central Arkansas.