NATCHITOCHES – For the better part of four weeks, the Northwestern State volleyball team has been road warriors
 
It has crisscrossed the Southeast and headed to the plains of West Texas during tournament season.
 
After 13 matches – 12 of which have been on the road – Northwestern State returns home Thursday to start Southland Conference play when it host McNeese State at 7 p.m. in Prather Coliseum.
 
"Traveling to all the tournaments gets a little hectic, especially at the end," first-year coach Sean Kiracofe said. "To be at home this weekend is great. To get in our normal workflow of scouting one opponent and then moving on to the next will be easier on the team and easier on the staff."
 
Northwestern State (2-11) has not played a home match since Sept. 1 when it erased a 2-1 deficit to defeat state rival UL Lafayette, 3-2. Since then, NSU has played tournaments in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Fayetteville, Ark., and Lubbock, Texas.
 
The nine matches away from home are a season long and mark one of two three-week road trips for the team this season. Those trips provided Kiracofe and his staff with plenty of information on their squad, which finished fifth in Southland play last season before ripping off three straight wins in the SLC Tournament to claim its first NCAA Tournament berth.
 
"Going into (last) weekend, I looked and our strength of schedule was ranked 56^th," Kiracofe said. "Playing Washington State and Texas Tech, I know it wasn't going to drop. We played some tough opponents. We played a few opponents we were matched up really well with. We played some really tough opponents, like I said. It's nice to be in conference, on a little more of an even playing field. I think all those tests in the tournaments will help us in the end."
 
McNeese State brings a 3-10 mark into the match, which also is the Southland opener for the Cowgirls as well.
 
NSU has won the last five matches against McNeese, dating to the 2012 season. In 2014, Northwestern State opened conference play with a 3-2 victory in Lake Charles.
 
"They've played some really tough opponents in tournaments as well," Kiracofe said. "We have a couple of the same opponents, and they pushed them as well. It's going to be a tough one to start (conference) with."
 
Thursday's match is Northwestern State's annual Dig Pink match. The team will auction off its jerseys through a silent auction beginning at 6 p.m. Proceeds from the jersey sales will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, which helps fund research in the fight against breast cancer.