OXFORD, Mississippi – After a 3-1 performance a week ago that started with a midweek win at Alcorn followed by the Troy Invitational, the Northwestern State volleyball team returns to Mississippi on Thursday to compete in the Rebel Classic.
 
The Lady Demons (3-4) will play two matches on Thursday against host Ole Miss (4-3, 3-1 at home) at 11 a.m. and Mercer (3-2) at 4 p.m. NSU closes tournament play for the week on Friday at 3 p.m. against Austin Peay (6-1).
 
The match against Ole Miss will be aired on SEC Network Plus with live stats available through the tournament central link located on the NSU schedule.
 
"We're happy to be able to play Ole Miss right away and kind of jump on them," third-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "It's going to be a tough match, but it's going to be fun.
 
"Mercer and Austin Peay are both having great seasons so far. Austin Peay is really on a roll so they're going to be difficult. From a matchup standpoint, from size and athleticism, it'll be pretty evenly matched for us."
 
NSU is led offensively by junior Reagan Rogers. The outside hitter earned honorable mention Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors following a consistent week in which she recorded 42 kills and a .252 hitting percentage. Rogers is currently fifth in the conference in attacks per set with 3.22. She has 74 total on the young season.
 
Rogers has also been a significant influence on the defensive side with 51 digs, second-most on the team behind libero Channing Burleson with 95.
 
Burleson extended several rallies during the Troy Invitational, laying out for a number of extraordinary saves.
 
"She (Burleson) had a great year last year, and she had a great weekend last weekend," Kiracofe said. "She really stood out. It just didn't necessarily stand out on the stat sheet. She made some amazing plays for us. She really solidified that half of the court so teams were forced to go somewhere else."

Outside hitter Alexis Warren had a dominant performance against Winthrop at the Troy Invitational, knocking down 20 kills in a five-set loss. Warren and Rogers were all-tournament selections for the Troy Invitational.

"That position specifically isn't asked to carry as much of a load offensively, she's used to doing it last year for us so when we came calling she did it," Kiracofe said.

Middle blocker Kourtney Seaton has provided a formidable force between the posts for the Lady Demons thus far in the season. Of attackers with more than 50 attempts, she is NSU's most efficient with a .281 hitting percentage on 114 attempts.

Live stats for all matches during the Rebel Classic will be available through the links on the schedule. Live updates will also be posted on Twitter @NSUDemonsVB.