NATCHITOCHES – It will be Throwback Thursday inside Prather Coliseum when the Northwestern State volleyball team returns for its first home match in more than four weeks.
 
But as the Lady Demons (4-6) begin Southland Conference play hosting Incarnate Word (2-8) at 6:30 p.m., they would prefer to focus on something a little more recent.
 
"We've talked about how this has been a two-year plan because we were returning a lot of key pieces and with us hosting the (conference) tournament," fourth-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "It's been a long four years to get to the point where we can compete with teams like Oklahoma and (Texas) A&M and not just to get a fluke one-set win, but to be in those matches.
 
"It was good to see that come together against A&M where we had consistent pressure to put us in position to win against a good, talented team. That was good to see going into conference play."'
 
Admission to Thursday's match is free as are all home regular-season volleyball matches thanks to the support of the Demons Unlimited Foundation. Streaming video of the match will be available at www.NSUDemons.com/watch.
 
While Kiracofe has referred to his two-year plan for the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a whole, he could have been talking about the progress of sophomore middle blocker Brooke Wood.
 
After taking a redshirt year in 2016, Wood pushed her way into the starting lineup down the stretch this past season and leads Northwestern State in block solos (6), block assists (32) and total blocks (38) despite missing the first two matches of the season.
 
Wood's 1.31 blocks per set leads the Southland Conference and ranks 39^th nationally.
 
"Big steps," Kiracofe said of Wood's progression. "There's been a lot of good stuff, and there's a lot still to go. She definitely has the engine. She's going to work hard constantly. With the middle position, that's what you need. There's no stopping, no chance to check and see what's happening, because you've always got something to do.
 
"I hold my middles to a high standard, because that was my position, so I'm never really happy. Her numbers speak for themselves. She kept us in a lot of long rallies (against Texas A&M) and ended some for us. If she isn't working the way she had been, those big attackers from A&M would have put those balls away and they would have run away from us. It was important for her to have a good defensive match, and she did."
 
Wood's conference-leading total is one of four owned by a Lady Demons player as conference play begins.
 
Senior outside hitter Reagan Rogers paces the conference in attacks per set (11.44) and kills per set (3.5) while fellow senior Channing Burleson's 5.25 digs per set lead the conference.
 
That trio will lead the Lady Demons against an Incarnate Word squad that snapped a season-opening, eight-match losing streak with back-to-back victories against Eastern Washington (3-1) and Alcorn State (3-0) in the UIW Cardinals Classic in San Antonio.
 
The victories were the first in the Samantha Dabbs era, which makes UIW the third straight NSU foe that has a first-year head coach.
 
"Things are a little different for them," Kiracofe said. "They graduated some good players, so they're not as strong in the middle as they have been. It's a different look. They have a freshman (Bethany Clapp) leading them in points with (Autumn) Lockley right behind her. They're more dependent on the pins than they have been in the past."
 
The Cardinals have morphed into a 6-2 offense as well, putting more pressure on a defense across the board.  However, Kiracofe said Northwestern State's previous experience against 6-2 offenses should help the Lady Demons.
 
Another key for the Lady Demons – a return to the friendly settings of Prather Coliseum. In its lone 2018 home match, Northwestern State swept Jackson State on Aug. 28.
 
In its past 10 home matches, NSU is 7-3.
 
"Last year, all of our home matches were fantastic crowds, so we're looking forward to getting back in Prather and being able to get that feeling back again," Kiracofe said.