NATCHITOCHES – Senior Day always brings with it a reflection on the road traveled by student-athletes.
 
So when the Northwestern State volleyball team honors Channing Burleson, Madeline Drake, Victoria Harris, Reagan Rogers and Kathryn Wristen prior to Saturday's 1 p.m. match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, it will do so with one foot in the past and one firmly in the present.
 
"I'm almost not prepared to talk about that," fourth-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "That group has done a ton for me, for my coaching career and for this program. I'm very appreciative to all of them. They mean a lot to NSU volleyball in general, and it will be hard to see them go."
 
Admission to the Senior Day match presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is free thanks to the Demons Unlimited Foundation. Streaming video of the match is available on www.NSUDemons.com/watch or through the new Northwestern State Athletics app, which is free to download through either the Apple Store or Google Play.
 
While the Lady Demons (9-13, 5-7 Southland Conference) thank their decorated senior class for two straight Southland Conference Tournament appearances, they find themselves battling to extend that run to three straight.
 
Northwestern State will host the conference tournament from Nov. 16-18 in Prather Coliseum. The Lady Demons find themselves in possession of eighth place in the 13-team Southland Conference. The top eight teams in the league advance to the tournament.
 
After dropping a five-set decision to Houston Baptist on Thursday, Northwestern State will try to rebound against a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (8-18, 7-6) team that has swept three of its past four matches. The Islanders are in fifth place, one game ahead of Houston Baptist and McNeese and a game and a half up on the Lady Demons.
 
"They have a lot of new names playing for them who have found a comfort level," Kiracofe said. "They really figured out where the pieces fit."
 
One of those pieces is junior setter Madison Green, who has recorded a pair of triple doubles this season, including a 40-assist, 17-dig, 10-kill performance in a five-set loss to Sam Houston State on Oct. 25.
 
"She's a quality player all the way around," Kiracofe said. "She played more right side for them last year. I talked to their coach (Steve Greene) about it last year. She's just a really talented volleyball player no way around it."
 
Much like Green, the Lady Demons can flash a versatile roster that can fill up a stat sheet as well.
 
Hannah Brister, who has spent time at both right side and outside hitter, delivered a career-high 23 kills Thursday night against Houston Baptist. Middle blocker Madeline Drake added 12 against the Huskies as the Lady Demons spread out their offense.
 
"We have shown we can put people in different places," Kiracofe said. "We have to get where we can get that core group producing on a consistent basis as we get closer to the tournament."