NATCHITOCHES— The Northwestern State volleyball team's home season began with a sweep and ended with one.
 
That final sweep, which came Tuesday night against Southland Conference foe Southeastern Louisiana, was much harder to come by.
 
Capped by a furious third-set comeback, the Lady Demons collected a key 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-23) victory against the visiting Lady Lions inside Prather Coliseum.
 
"To be able to dig in and not give up is something I'm very happy to see," NSU head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "It was great execution on everyone's part. We got very specific about what we wanted to do defensively, and it was just a matter of what needed to happen in every situation. The girls did a really good job of following that. They stuck to their assignments and it paid off for us in the win."
 
Northwestern State (11-13, 7-7) fought its way to 2-0 lead at the break. However, the Lady Lions came out roaring in the third, building a 9-3 early lead trying to avoid the sweep. The Lady Demons had other plans as they pulled within five midway through the set. Southeastern (2-25, 1-13) again pulled away 20-13 and the game was seemingly headed to a fourth set when momentum changed. With no timeouts remaining, NSU mounted a 12-3 run propelling them for their first season sweep of the Lady Lions since 2013.
 
Senior middle blocker Madeline Drake started the night off hot, knocking down 11 kills on her first 11 attempts before eventually finishing the night with a team-leading attack percentage of .550. Drake was also solid on defense, providing three of the team's 11 total blocks.
 
"I definitely had a goal to see where the block was and to be smarter with the swings I took," Drake said. "Our defense was giving us great passes and the setter was giving good sets."
 
Said Kiracofe: "She had a great offensive night, but what I was happier with was that she moved the ball around. She wasn't just hitting it as hard as she could, she was playing smart."
 
Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Brister posted a match-high 20 kills and added seven digs. She says that this team is determined to finish the year strong and get to the conference tournament, which NSU hosts Nov. 16-18 at Prather Coliseum.
 
"The teams in the lower half of the conference really want to beat us, and they are going to do everything they can to do it," Brister said. "We have to stay motivated so that does not happen."
 
Freshman setter Skylar Besch provided 33 assists on the night before being relieved by senior setter Kathryn Wristen to close out the game.
 
The Lady Lions were led by the duo of Caroline Golden and Jodi Edo who combined for 21 kills and 11 digs.
 
The win was critical in helping NSU's chances to clinch a spot in the conference tournament. Coupled with Houston Baptist's win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Lady Demons moved into sole possession of sixth place, a half-game ahead of the Islanders and one game ahead of three teams who are tied for eighth place.
 
NSU closes out the regular season on the road at Lamar on Nov. 8 and McNeese on Nov. 10.