NATCHITOCHES – Almost two weeks ago, the Northwestern State volleyball team walked into a gym to face a team bent on avenging a 2017 loss to the Lady Demons.
 
When Northwestern State opens a three-match Southland Conference homestand Thursday against Houston Baptist, it will be that team seeking a measure of payback. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. and the match can be watched on www.NSUDemons.com/watch or through the new Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, available through the Apple Store or Google Play.
 
Admission to the match is free thanks to the support of the Demons Unlimiated Foundation.
 
The Lady Demons (9-12, 5-6) dropped all three matches to the Huskies (12-14, 5-7), including a first-round Southland Conference Tournament matchup.
 
"It hasn't been there for me for whatever reason, but in the last week, talking with the players, that's the name that keeps coming up," fourth-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "It makes perfect sense. We saw them three times last year and lost in the first round when we thought we had a good matchup. I'm happy about (the players' attitude). We're going to be extremely focused and motivated on Thursday to make sure we play at our best. I'm happy about that. I don't necessarily want to calm that down."
 
Adding to the importance of the match are the conference tournament implications.
 
The Lady Demons' sweep at Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday coupled with the Huskies' five-set loss at Sam Houston State moved NSU a half-game ahead of HBU in the conference standings.
 
NSU stands in sixth place with HBU holding a half-game lead on New Orleans for the eighth and final tournament spot. Northwestern State will host the conference tournament from Nov. 16-18 in Prather Coliseum.
 
"We've talked about it in the past that we had our most difficult week of conference play in the beginning with SFA and UCA," Kiracofe said. "This is the most important one when it comes to seeding. We're bunched in there with (HBU and Saturday's opponent Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). A win or loss couldn't mean more. We're very fortunate to meet them at home."
 
Playing at home has given NSU a lift as it has won its past two matches. Kiracofe credited the atmosphere in matches against Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas with lifting his team's play.
 
There should be a similar feeling in the arena Thursday as it is NSU's annual Greek Night. There will be free Raising Cane's chicken fingers provided to members of Greek organizations in attendance.
 
"We had a great turnout against UCA and SFA, and we need that support again because these matches matter more than anything," Kiracofe said.
 
The Huskies have split their past six matches, winning at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and scoring home wins against Lamar and Abilene Christian. The losses in that stretch have come at Sam Houston State and against the Bearkats in Houston and against McNeese in Houston.
 
HBU features the busiest offensive player in the Southland Conference – outside hitter Mikayla Vivens.
 
Vivens leads the conference in total attacks (1,125) and ranks 14^th nationally in that category. Her attacks per set (11.48) paces the league and stands 30^th among all Division I players.
 
The Hukies' reliance upon Vivens led Kiracofe to make comparisons to Sam Houston State's use of Taylor Cunningham.
 
"She has about 650 more attempts than anyone else," Kiracofe said. "It's simply raw numbers. They have (Kayla) Davenport in the middle. She's efficient and experienced, but it goes through Vivens. She just keeps coming at you. Eventually, lately at least, it's turned out in her favor. Like Sam and Cunningham, you can't forget about everyone else. They have talent who will exploit a lack of attention from a defense."