CONWAY, Arkansas – The Northwestern State volleyball team's return to the Southland Conference Tournament after a one-year absence starts with a familiar opponent.
 
Additionally, it could look exactly like the Lady Demons' run to the 2014 tournament title if everything falls according to plan.
 
Sixth-seeded Northwestern State (12-19) will face No. 3 seed Sam Houston State (16-13) at 1:30 p.m. Friday inside the Farris Center at the University of Central Arkansas. There may be no more familiar first-round foes than the Lady Demons and the Bearkats, who will meet for the third time in the past eight matches, including the regular-season finale on Nov. 12.
 
"It's a good thing," said second-year head coach Sean Kiracofe, who will make his tournament head coaching debut. "We played them tougher in Huntsville and started off well here. Their matchups, they were very consistent with how they attacked us."
 
The Lady Demons dropped both matches to the Bearkats this season, falling 3-2 at Huntsville on Oct. 20 and dropping a four-set decision at home in the regular-season finale.
 
It sets up similarly to NSU's most recent postseason appearance in which it dispatched Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas en route to the program's first conference tournament title and maiden NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
"It could be an exact repeat of 2014 if everything falls right for us," Kiracofe said.
 
A win against Sam Houston would propel the Lady Demons into a semifinal matchup against second-seeded Stephen F. Austin provided the Ladyjacks defeat seventh-seeded Southeastern Louisiana in Friday's tournament-opening match.
 
"Since I've been in the program, we've always said it's tough to beat a team three times in a row," said senior setter Natalie Jaeger, an honorable mention All-Southland selection. "We're running into that (against Sam Houston). We've been watching film, and we have the experience. We feel like it's our turn.."
 
Central Arkansas drew the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Houston Baptist in the nightcap.
 
Four NSU players, including Jaeger, were part of the 2014 tournament champions while the remainder of the roster is sophomores or freshmen who have yet to take part in a conference tournament.
 
The quartet who have been through the tournament setting will serve as sounding boards for their teammates in Conway, delivering on the court and adding sage advice away from it.
 
"They'll bring a calmness that will bring us through," said libero Channing Burleson, an honorable mention All-Southland Conference selection who has tallied the third-most digs (559) in NSU single-season history. "They calm me down. They've helped me throughout this whole season."
 
In addition to trying to replicate 2014's run through the tournament, Northwestern State can reach into its collective memory bank for a piece of positivity.
 
As part of its 3-0 start to conference play, NSU swept tournament host Central Arkansas on Sept. 27 in the Farris Center.
 
"We started conference strong when we played them there," Burleson said. "We'll find a sense of comfort in that we've been there and done that before."