Box Score NEW ORLEANS – Freshman Ashley Elrod picked up her fourth double-double in a row to lead the Northwestern State volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 25-27, 25-13) victory over Southland Conference newcomer University of New Orleans Thursday night in the Holmes Center.
 
The Lady Demons improve to 17-10 overall, 13-2 in the Southland as the Privateers fall to 3-25, 0-15.

"I thought New Orleans played a very good match and stressed up pretty consistently," said fourth year co-head coach Hugh Hernesman. "I was impressed with their effort level and competitiveness."
 
NSU used two five-point runs in the first set to establish an early lead and put up a set-high 10-point lead at three different times to validate the win.
 
Game two had a completely different script as the two teams took turns marking points on the board, tying the game seven different times, the last at 23-all. Redshirt sophomore Caiti O'Connell secured the 2-0 score heading into the break knocking down two of her 15 kills to secure the 25-23 mark.
 
Similar to set two, game three was tight as the score was tied 13 total times, neither team able to get on a run, and UNO walking away with the 27-25 decision.
 
The Lady Demons did not waste any time in set four as they jumped out to a 5-2 lead. They were able to string together seven and nine-point runs back-to-back from there and take a commanding 25-13 win.
 
Elrod recorded 11 kills and 12 digs, followed by O'Connell's 15 kills. Vanessa Coleman notched a .316 attack percentage, knocking down eight kills and matching O'Connell with three blocks apiece.
 
Setters Natalie Jaeger and Emily Johnson dished out 26 and 21 assists, respectively. Jaeger also dug up 10 UNO attacks to mark her fifth double-double of the season.
 
Libero Keelie Arneson notched her second-best digs number of the season with 31 on the night. The Tomball, Texas, native teamed up with Jaeger to slap two service aces each, accounting for four of the team's five on the night.

"We tried to rest some injured and sick players, and it thrusted people into different roles," said Hernesman. "We probably made too many changes at once and that, this deep in the season, when roles are pretty well defined, didn't help things for us." 
 
Northwestern State continues on the road with a two o'clock match with Southeastern on Saturday at University Center in Hammond. The final home game of the season will be held Tuesday evening at seven o'clock against Central Arkansas in Prather Coliseum.