BEAUMONT, Texas – Both defenses will have their hands full when Northwestern State takes on Lamar on Thursday night.
 
The match, the first of four road contests in the next five for the Demons, features four outside hitters that are among the top 10 in the Southland Conference in offensive production this season.
 
The Northwestern duo of Reaghan Thompson and Teresa Garza rank seventh and 10th in the conference in kills per set in the conference respectively while Lamar's Maja Malinowska and Lyric Jordan sit in third and eighth in the rankings. The Demon duo averages 6.61 kills per set with the Lamar pair putting up 6.94 per set, the second and third most productive teammates in the league.
 
Both sets of outsides have carried the offensive load for their teams this season and led to nearly identical numbers. NSU and Lamar are each scoring 11.9 kills per set with the Cardinals holding a slight edge, three points, in team hitting percentage.
 
First serve for the high-powered showdown is set for 6:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
 
"We are very similar teams," head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "We both have very talented and productive outsides. You go up and down the roster and see that both of us have smaller setters, middles that can produce and a few other things that make this an interesting matchup. 
 
"I think we have a couple of advantages in terms of ball control and serve receive but they do a lot of good things and similar things to us so it's going to be what team can recognize chances on the other side of the net."
 
The Demons and Cardinals are two of the three teams in the conference with two players ranked in the top 10 in kills per set, UTRGV being the other. Northwestern is fresh of a pair of matches against the Vaqueros giving them recent experience defending against two top-level offensive threats.
 
In the two matches against UTRGV, the Demons put up an average of 3.1 blocks and 11.9 digs per set. They had double-digit blocks in both matches against the Vaqueros, and while the Cardinals rank first in the conference in fewest blocks against this season, were rejected at the net nine times in their Tuesday night match against Stephen F. Austin.
 
The Demons rank second in the league, just ahead of the Lady Jacks, in blocks per set this year at 2.51 with Deja Benjamin the second highest individual producer at 1.32 per set.
 
While the Demons will continue to make their hay at the net, the Cardinals have exceled this season on the back row ranking second in the conference in digs per set at 16.3.
 
Libero Keeley Nellis is third in the conference in digs at 4.39 with six-rotation outside Malinowska sitting ninth in the category at 3.32. The Demon's Ashlyn Svoboda is listed seventh in the category with Garza sitting just outside the top 10 herself with a 3.15 average.
 
Each team possess more than enough offensive firepower to score. The outside pairs serving as the tip of the spear for both and the Demon middle combination of Benjamin and Samaya Wesson contributing 3.03 kills pet set this year. Lamar's next two options have a slightly lower average of 2.48.
 
Which team's defensive strength shines through on Thursday will go a long way in determining the outcome of the match.