HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Following its first weekend off since the season began in late August, the Northwestern State volleyball team returns to action on Tuesday, as it takes on Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m. from Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

In their last outing on Thursday, the Lady Demons (11-14, 8-4 Southland Conference) handed Central Arkansas its first league loss in just over two years, ending the Sugar Bears' 38-match conference win streak.

"The thing that really jumped off the page to me was we were really in the position to make a lot of plays," fifth-year co-head coach Hugh Hernesman said. "I thought we saw their patterns real well and that made a difference in what we were able to do with our block.

"It was probably the biggest win we've had at home in the program's history. That being said, it didn't make our season. It's just another game for us and we move on to Sam Houston."

Tuesday's match between NSU and Sam Houston (15-9, 8-3 SLC) will be the second in an eight-day time span, with the Bearkats claiming a five set win at Prather Coliseum in the first matchup. In the loss, the Lady Demons hit .224 – at the time, their fifth highest attack percentage in 24 outings – but could not slow down the Bearkats who hit .264.

"I think after we watched the match, one of the things we noticed was there were a lot of routine plays we didn't quite make whether it was not making the dig altogether or putting the dig in a productive spot." Hernesman said. "It's a very good offensive team."

Sam Houston is led by senior Devene Wells-Gibson who holds the conference's top spot with 4.83 kills per set and is second with 0.39 service aces per set. In the first match against NSU, Wells-Gibson tallied 22 kills while accounting for 25.5 points.

"Dev is one of the best players in our league," Hernesman said. "She's going to get her kills; we know that. It's tough to really control her but you have to do some things to take care of the easier plays and convert on those."

With only four league matches remaining, Tuesday will be the start to providing some clarity on where NSU finishes in the regular season standings, although according to Hernesman, the quality of play is the most important factor.

"In terms of where we get seeded in the tournament, it doesn't matter to us," Hernesman said. "We're not aiming for that. The most important thing for us is playing good volleyball at the end of the year. We feel like Central Arkansas was a nice start to that. We're looking to maintain that tomorrow."

Following Tuesday's match, NSU will return home for senior night on Friday when the squad takes on Stephen F. Austin at 7 o'clock from Prather Coliseum.