NEW ORLEANS – Faced with its second straight five-set match, the Northwestern State volleyball team was unable to fashion a positive outcome Friday night.
 
The Lady Demons took two of the first three sets from host Tulane but were unable to put away the Green Wave, falling 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-12) in the nightcap of the first day of the Tulane Invitational. In its previous match, Northwestern State picked up a five-set win at UL Monroe on Tuesday night.
 
Despite the loss, junior libero Channing Burleson produced a bit of history. With 26 digs, Burleson not only set a season high, she also became the eighth member of the 1,000-dig mark in school history. Burleson's career total stands at 1,003 after Friday's match, putting her within 56 of tying Rachel Ford for seventh place on NSU's career list.
 
"I'm very proud of Channing for hitting this milestone against a good Tulane team that made her earn all 26 digs tonight," third-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "It was a great environment to play in, and she stepped up to the moment. That's what we have come to expect from her. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the job as a team."

The Lady Demons (4-8) nearly put themselves in position to sweep the match, forcing Tulane (9-2) to rally from a 20-18 deficit to claim the set.
 
Freshman Hannah Brister led the Lady Demons with five first-set kills, setting the tone for a strong homecoming match for the Napoleonville product.
 
Playing approximately an hour from her hometown, Brister continued her strong recent play, knocking down 15 kills, tying Reagan Rogers for the team lead. Brister added 18 digs, making her and Rogers (12 digs) two of three Lady Demons to record double-doubles Friday night.
 
Setter Kathryn Wristen was the third, posting 50 assists and 10 digs in her second straight 50-assist match.
 
That production pushed Northwestern State to a second-set victory and to as much as an eight-point lead in the third set (23-15) before the Green Wave put together a furious rally.
 
Tulane cut the NSU lead to 24-23 before Rogers and Madeline Drake (career-high seven block assists) combined for a set-clinching block.
 
That was the last big highlight for the Lady Demons as Tulane built on the momentum from its near rally to claim the fourth set before taking an early lead in the fifth set.
 
After falling behind 5-3, Northwestern State was able to slice into the Green Wave's lead, cutting it to one four times before Tulane used a 4-1 run to wrest control of the set late.
 
The Lady Demons will not have much time to dwell on Friday's loss as they face North Florida at 10 a.m. Saturday in the first of two matches. NSU concludes Tulane Invitational play with a 4:30 p.m. match against Alabama State.