NATCHITOCHES – Orange is listed as a trim color for Northwestern State's athletic teams.
 
The usual accent color takes center stage Tuesday night when the Northwestern State volleyball team hosts Stephen F. Austin on Orange Out night at Prather Coliseum.
 
The 7 p.m. matchup against the Ladyjacks has a deeper meaning than just a fashion statement. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of Wes Rollo, a Natchitoches native who is battling leukemia.
 
"It's been great for the coaching staff and great for the team," first-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said of interacting with Rollo, who will serve as Northwestern State's honorary team captain Tuesday night.
 
"We're happy to support him and recognize him and the cause overall. We were looking for a way for us to include him in the match and that's going to be a good way."
 
The NSU staff and players have been able to interact with Rollo recently as they prepare to face the Ladyjacks (13-9, 5-1), who sit in second place in the Southland Conference.
 
It marks the second straight upper-tier opponent for NSU (3-17, 1-6), which fell 3-0 to conference-leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at Prather Coliseum.
 
"A lot of people in conference have been testing SFA," Kiracofe said. "You have to find their weaknesses and take advantage of them when given the opportunity. We're happy to be at home and get a little crowd support."
 
While SFA has been pushed to five sets in four of its first six conference matches, Northwestern State has even better memories from which to pull.
 
The last time the teams met, NSU upended the No. 1-seeded Ladyjacks 3-1 in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals. Northwestern State then defeated Central Arkansas in the tournament championship to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth.
 
"That gives us a little extra drive because of the history we have with them," said junior outside hitter Lauren Agan, who leads the team with 193 kills. "It's going to be a really fun match to play in and to be at. They're always a really big rival for us."
 
Much like the coaching staff, Agan and her teammates have been impacted by their interactions with Rollo.
 
"It's going to be so exciting to have him here," Agan said. "I know he's really excited. It's going to be fun to have someone from the community walk out with us, and it's for a really good cause, too."
 
Following Tuesday's match, Northwestern State hits the road for a six-match road swing that will cover nearly a month. NSU will not play at Prather Coliseum again until Nov. 12, a span of 30 days. The extended road swing begins Thursday night at New Orleans.