NATCHITOCHES – Building momentum for the Northwestern State volleyball team doesn't stop at the edges of the Prather Coliseum court.
 
When fourth-year head coach Sean Kiracofe looks around his home arena, he sees it, and he hopes to do so again when the Lady Demons continue a four-match homestand by hosting McNeese at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Streaming video of the match is available www.NSUDemons.com/watch and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which is available for purchase in the Apple Store and on Google Play.
 
"We've loved all of our crowds, and just the momentum that has been building on Thursdays," Kiracofe said. "We want to keep that going, so we're hoping for and expecting a great crowd on Thursday. We're starting to get it to carry over on a consistent basis to Saturdays as well."
 
In addition to continuing to build momentum for the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament, which takes place in Prather Coliseum from Nov. 16-18, Thursday's match will be NSU's annual "Fork Cancer" match.
 
The Lady Demons will wear pink jerseys that will be auctioned off after the match. The auction will take place in person as well as online at www.NSUDemons.com/auctions. Additionally, the NSU athletic department will be accepting donations for the Northwest Louisiana Cancer Center. Fans are asked to donate drinks (water, juice, sports drinks), snacks, coloring books and colors, crossword puzzles, inspirational books and blankets/throws. A collection box will be set up at Prather Coliseum for donations at Thursday's match.
 
"I've had cancer, my mom has had cancer and my dad has had cancer," Kiracofe said. "We're very fortunate that we came through healthy and are OK today. That's not always the case for a lot of people. It's absolutely a relatable feeling for anyone's situation that I have personally as well as a few members of our team."
 
After a tough start to Southland Conference play, Northwestern State (6-10, 2-4) finds itself with a chance to make some headway this weekend, starting with the match against the Cowgirls (5-15, 3-2).
 
Three of the Lady Demons' first six conference matches have come against league-leading Stephen F. Austin and second-place Central Arkansas.
 
McNeese, meanwhile, has won four straight matches, including three consecutive Southland matches (at Lamar, vs. New Orleans, vs Nicholls).
 
"Unfortunately, they lost their best player to a season-ending injury, so they had an unexpected change they've had to grow from," Kiracofe said. "They've done some really good things the past couple of weeks."
 
Thursday's match is the third of four straight for Northwestern State, which sits one game out of eighth place in the Southland Conference race.
 
While four teams – Stephen F. Austin, Central Arkansas, Sam Houston State and Abilene Christian – have one or fewer losses, the fifth through 10^th spots in the conference are separated by 1½ games.
 
"There's a lot of parity," Kiracofe said. "In my time in the conference, I don't know if there was a better group of teams one through eight in the conference tournament than last year. Even though there are a lot of new names in starting lineups, people are figuring out their roles. Anybody can beat anybody home or road. It makes for a competitive conference."