NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State volleyball team collected the first Southland Conference championship in program history after sweeping Central Arkansas (25-23, 25-18, 25-17) in the conference tournament title match at Prather Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

"I've had this feeling once in my life, and it was winning the national championship at Wisconsin-Whitewater," fifth-year co-head coach Hugh Hernesman said. "It's a feeling that's hard to describe. I'm so proud of this team. They've been through a lot this year. We're so proud of our seniors who just wouldn't let us lose. We're so proud to be able to say we're associated with this group."

Along the self-proclaimed "road of redemption," the No. 5-seeded Lady Demons defeated No. 4 seed Sam Houston State, No. 1 seed Stephen F. Austin and No. 2 seed Central Arkansas (20-12). During the regular season, NSU went a combined 0-4 against the Ladyjacks and Bearkats while it was Central Arkansas who downed the Lady Demons in last year's tournament title match.

"We went into that locker room ahead of the third set and the locker room was different for us than it was last year," Hernesman said. "We lost in five after being up 2-0 to Central Arkansas – the same scenario.  The locker room last year was overly excited; like, 'We are really going to do this.'  This year, it was business as usual."
In the win, NSU (16-16) earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, which begins tentatively begins Dec. 5. The 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament bracket will be announced on ESPNU Sunday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m.

NSU's Mackenzie Neely was named the 2014 Southland Volleyball Tournament Most Valuable Player. The senior led the Lady Demons with eight kills and added four blocks. Neely was one of three Lady Demons named to the All-Tournament team, as she was joined by fellow senior Stacey DiFrancesco and junior Caiti O'Connell.

"We worked our butts off for this for four years," Neely said. "Last year we lost in five to UCA. We went up 2-0 like we did last year and when we went to the locker room, we said, 'We're not letting that happen again. We're going to finish this.' Our whole team did so good; my award is an award for everyone."

Neely finished with 32 kills and 10 total blocks over the weekend's three matches. Her 17 total kills against Stephen F. Austin tied her second-highest kill total on the season. 

"This is a player that we knew she had this in her for her four years here," Hernesman said. "During her first year she was playing in the middle and was playing out of position because we needed that and she is that kind of player; she is going to do whatever it takes for the team.

"The biggest thing for her, in terms of her confidence and knowing she can play at that level, is probably the Mizzou match.  She owned that match, had game point, match point.  Once that happened, she realized she could do that and it was a whole new level of confidence for her."

Northwestern State hit .221 for the match while holding the Sugar Bears to a hitting percentage of .117. Defensively, Bailey Martin tallied 13 digs while Glynna Johnson added four blocks. O'Connell and Johnson each finished with seven kills while Emily Johnson finished with 16 assists.

The Lady Demons faced their share of adversity throughout the season, but the close-knit group is peaking at the right moment and says their closeness as a unit made all the difference.

"Our team is so tight and I think that is what pushes us ahead in a lot of games," Neely said. "We are a family. They're my best friends and my sisters and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."