NATCHITOCHES – Aiming for its seventh win in the last eight matches, the Northwestern State volleyball team will host Southland Conference foe McNeese State at Prather Coliseum on Thursday at seven o'clock.
 
The Lady Demons (8-9 overall, 4-1 SLC) picked up a huge win over conference powerhouse Oral Roberts on Saturday, defeating the Golden Eagles in a five-set thriller. The Cowgirls (12-8, 5-2) are coming off of a five-game win-streak with recent victories over Southeastern and New Orleans. NSU took two wins from McNeese last season, blanking the Cowgirls both times.


Redshirt sophomore Caiti O'Connell and freshman Ashley Elrod lead the NSU attack. O'Connell currently knocks down 2.98 kills per set for 13^th in the conference, while Elrod sits just behind with 2.95.
 
Libero Keelie Arneson holds down second in the league in digs, registering 5.13 per set behind ORU's Bruna Silva with 5.16.
 
Setters Emily Johnson and Natalie Jaeger have dished out 588 total assists this season while sophomore Glynna Johnson holds down the middle with 48 total blocks.
 
For McNeese, sophomore Malina Sanchez leads with a .270 attack percentage while sitting 11^th in the league, followed by freshman Sophie Tenbusch with .257.
 
Sanchez also holds a team-high kills mark, noting second in the Southland with 3.83 per set. Setter Vanessa Bentley, a freshman out of Roseburg, Ore., dishes out 9.04 assists per set while picking up 2.03 digs per set.
 
Middle blockers Amber Fryer and Carly DeMarque put up .97 and .80 blocks per set, respectively.
 
Thursday night's match is deemed as 'Kid's Night.' Fans can enjoy free food while supplies last, a jump in the Mighty Vic's Kids Club bounce house, meet and greet with the NSU cheerleaders and the opportunity to have fun with face-painting.
 
The Lady Demons remain home on Saturday as they host Nicholls State at 2:00 before hitting the road to Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next week.
 
The next home series with Lamar and Sam Houston State on Oct. 24 and 26 are official 'Dig Pink' contests as NSU will be supporting breast cancer awareness month by wearing pink uniforms. As always, admission is free to all volleyball home events.