NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State has shown steady progression through the first six matches of the season. While it has yet to result in a conference win, if the past two matches are any indication, that fact could be changing soon.
 
The past eight sets for the Lady Demons (2-4, 0-4) have been decided by four points or less. That stretch goes back to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi match, where things began to fall into place with the performance in that third set. 
 
"A lot of things are working better," head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "Our defense is really starting to click. The last update of the conference stats we lead in blocks per set and are second in digs per set. Those areas in particular have allowed us to go from Sam Houston to Southeastern and be in a position to win.
 
"The girls are starting to see the progress they've made, and they did after Southeastern, so that's been a really good thing. Now we just have to get a little bit better and more efficient on offense, and those things will start to come."
 
NSU carries its progress into a match on Tuesday night against Central Arkansas (5-5, 3-2) that begins at 6:30 inside Prather Coliseum. Live subscription video will be available for the match at www.nsudemons.com or on the NSU Athletics mobile app, a free download via the Apple or Google stores.
 
There is no charge for admission to all NSU home volleyball matches but fans are encouraged to wear masks and practice social distancing while inside the arena.
 
The defense has excelled during the past two-plus matches averaging 10.4 digs per set and 5.1 blocks per set in the past two matches alone. It's been libero Haley Hoang on the backline, who leads the conference in digs per set as the only player with more than six, and middles Audrey Quesnel and Reagan Lee who have combined for 44 total blocks in six matches.
 
Kiracofe called this team, with just one senior, the best blocking team he's had during his tenure in Natchitoches. The Lady Demons have had 11 or more total blocks in each of the past two matches, including a season-best 13 against SLU. Both Quesnel (4) and Lee (6) rank in the top 10 in the conference in blocks per set.
 
With the defense doing its job, and providing points where it can at the net, Kiracofe wants to see more consistency from the offense. Something he said will come with time to a young group with new setters learning new attackers and vice versa.
 
"We're not doing anything revolutionary in terms of what they've done in high school or club," he said. "It's new players still learning that timing, and that matters a ton. We have two people trying to figure out that timing, the attacker and the setter. We need somebody to be consistent so the other person can know what needs to be done."
 
The Lady Demons have averaged nearly 10 kills per set in every match, with their best the 12.2 per set against SLU, but as a team haven't had a hitting percentage over .150 since the 3-0 sweep of Grambling.
 
"There's not really one thing that you can pin it on, there's a little something different in each match," Kiracofe said of the offensive troubles. "We have been the team with way more unforced errors too often. There's a balance of not wanting to commit and error with an aggressive swing and just sending an easy ball over for them to transition it back and score the point. That's just a slow death instead of an immediate one on that initial swing."
 
NSU will need the offense to continue showing signs of progress as it faces the Sugar Bears who are coming off a rout of New Orleans in their last match.
 
UCA is one of the handful of teams in the SLC with a handful of Fall matches on its record, playing five matches in Sept. and Oct. They began the conference slate with a 3-2 win at Sam Houston before being swept at home by UIW and Corpus.
 
Since, they have won their past two matches behind a spread-out attack lead by outsides Amanda Beaton and Lexi Miller. They are two of the four players on the team averaging more than two kills per set.
 
"They've been a little up and down," Kiracofe said. "They have played really well and pushed Sam Houston in the first match of the conference season but have also had some matches where it just didn't work. So, there could be elements of their game that don't work on a given night but either way it's going to be a tough match."