NATCHITOCHES – Currently on a five-game win streak, recording the program's most single-season Southland Conference wins and sitting second in the league, the Northwestern State volleyball team hosts first-place Central Arkansas in SLC action Tuesday at seven o'clock at Prather Coliseum.

The match is deemed Veteran's Night with recognition to all veterans between sets two and three. As always, admission is free to everyone.

The Lady Demons (18-10 overall, 14-2 SLC) picked up wins over New Orleans and Southeastern last week led by five-time Southland Defensive Player of the Week Keelie Arneson. The 2012 Southland Conference Tournament champion, UCA (23-3, 15-0), enters the week on a 16-win streak, holding Southland opponents to three and four-set games only.

Throughout the four-plus seasons Hugh and Steph Hernesman have been co-head coaches at NSU, Northwestern has defeated the Sugar Bears just once with a 3-1 victory during the 2011 season. The Lady Demons dropped a 3-1 decision in Conway, Ark., earlier this season, and will look to their 8-1 record at home to push through.

The Sugar Bears claimed victories in both meetings last season, pulling out a five-set nail-biter in Natchitoches and laying down three quick sets toward the end of the regular season in Conway.

Arneson dug up 53 attacks, registering 5.63 digs per set last week to notch a 5.30 overall average. The Klein Oak, Texas product leads the Southland, ranks 18^th in the nation and continues to shatter the program career digs record. Her 562 digs this season bring her career total to 1,719, surpassing 2004 graduate Cathy Herring's 1,325 mark in September.

Freshman Ashley Elrod leads the attack with 2.95 kills per set and holds second on the team in service aces (26). Caiti O'Connell sits just behind with 2.64 kills per set.

Mackenzie Neely and Elrod share slots on the Southland service aces ledger, slapping .34 and .27 per set. Neely has knocked down 10 of the team's 30 aces in the last four matches.

Middle blocker Glynna Johnson gave an all-around performance last week, picking up a career-high 17 kills against Southeastern while putting up eight total blocks in that same match.

Setters Emily Johnson and Natalie Jeager dish out 5.53 and 4.79 assists per set, respectively, while picking up 15 double-doubles between the two of them this season.

Senior Marissa Collins captured the program assists record for the Sugar Bears on Saturday, collecting 5,186 total. Her 11.98 assists per set lead the Southland and rank fifth in the nation.

Fulani Petties, Alicia Ditrich and Heather Schnars steer the UCA attack, holding attack percentages of .343, .308 and .268, respectively. Schnars knocks down 3.38 kills per set and leads the league with .48 service aces per set, while senior Jessica Nagy ranks just ahead of Elrod with 2.97 kills per set. Libero Shelbee Berringer holds fourth in the Southland with 4.72 digs per set.

Northwestern State will head to Southland Conference rival Stephen F. Austin on Saturday for its final game of the regular season, slated to begin at 1:00.