NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State will honor its tallest and smallest players on Saturday as it faces its largest competition in the final days of the regular season.
 
Prior to the match, the Lady Demons (10-16, 4-7) will honor a pair of seniors, Reagan Lee and Bryce Potter, for their devotion and contribution to the program and NSU across the past four years.
 
Their opponent for the 11 a.m. Southland Conference match will be Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (15-9, 11-1), who currently sit atop the league standings with just one match remaining following the trip to Natchitoches.
 
Admission to the match is free for all fans with live coverage links, including video, available at www.nsudemons.com or on the NSU Athletics mobile app, a free download in either the Apple or Google stores.
 
Corpus has won the past three conference matches in a row after their only blemish, a 3-1 loss at HBU, two weeks ago. Building off what the Huskies did in that win and drawing from the first meeting at Corpus over a month ago, head coach Sean Kiracofe hopes that knowledge will translate to the court.
 
"Theoretically the scout has been out on what to do that you feel can affect them and change what they want to do," he said. "But it's been something that not a lot of teams have been able to execute. HBU was able to do that. 
 
"You can look at film from that match and others and see what worked or what didn't, and even from our first match, to try and replicate what did work. So, it's a matter of seeing that film, going out and trying to replicate that, and know that you have that opportunity at home always helps."
 
Following NSU's thrilling 3-2 win against UIW on Thursday, the hopes of securing the four seed in the upcoming SLC tournament remain within grasp. A win on Saturday combined with a Nicholls loss to HBU would lock the Lady Demons into at minimum the fifth spot at the end of the season.
 
"These final few matches could not mean any more than they do in terms of postseason implications," Kiracofe said. "So to get a win like we did Thursday in five sets was huge because we are going to be in some similar situations again in the next few matches where rallies and set are going to go for a while and we have to be able to close it out."
 
Although not the final time Lee and Potter will see the Prather Coliseum floor this season, Saturday's pre-match recognition does represent a finality for the middle blocker and defensive specialist and the time they spent wearing the Purple and White.

"The past four years being a Demon have been amazing," Potter said. "Not only did I get to play the sport I love, but I have met so many people doing so. I have made life long memories in the town of Natchitoches and I truly wouldn't change anything for the world. I have grown so much as an individual on and off the court and it made me appreciate all the little things. I am beyond thankful to have been a part of this journey."
 
Both are multi-time members of the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll along with multiple semesters representing volleyball on the NSU Dean's and President's lists. Their contributions go far beyond the numbers on the court.
 
"They've both been amazing parts of this program and we're going to miss them greatly," Kiracofe said. "They've both been hampered for different reasons from an injury standpoint at different points in their career, but they've been so important for everything they provide on a daily basis."