LAKE CHARLES – Northwestern State came up short in another close road match at McNeese on Saturday in a 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 15-14) final.
 
After falling behind 5-0 to start the match, the Demons were able to claw their way back within three after alternating kills from Reaghan Thompson, Samaya Wesson and Deja Benjamin. McNeese regained control with a 6-1 run to take a late 18-10 lead.
 
The Demons outscored McNeese over the next 16 serves and holding McNeese to just three kills over their final seven points, but two blocked swings, a service error and another attack error prevented NSU from completing the comeback.
 
The late momentum though helped the Demons get out to a better start in the second set and took a 13-10 lead following kills from Madisynne McQueen, Thompson and Benjamin and block from McQueen and Benjamin.
 
McNeese tightened things up with a three-point burst but the Demons were able to stretch their lead back to its largest of the set at five thanks to some help from the Cowgirls. Four straight attack errors from McNeese, with just one being forced by a solo block from Benjamin, gave the Demons the comfortable lead.
 
Thompson made it a 23-17 NSU lead with her eighth kill of the match and McQueen put the set away six serves later with a kill to even the match at one set each.
 
The third set came down to clutch plays during the critical moments after the 20-point mark.
 
A 3-1 Demon swing with two kills from Thompson and a solo block from Teresa Garza tied the set at 20. The Southland Conference's top offensive player, McNeese's McKenzie Moore, scored on the next two serves to push the Cowgirls back up by a pair and start a 4-1 scoring run giving them set point.
 
Wesson held off the end with a kill but an error on the next swing gave the final point to McNeese and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Things remained close through the first part of the fourth set with NSU erasing a four-point deficit to tie the set at 11 on a pair of kills from Benjamin and a bad set from the Cowgirls.
 
Garza added two more kills to add to her team leading 15 for the match to keep the Demons within a pair, but NSU got caught in rotation disadvantage that led to a seven-point McNeese serving run to all but seal the match.
 
Garza and Thompson each picked up their second straight double-doubles in the match with Thompson turning in her second straight 20-dig match. Wesson finished with nine kills and Benjamin added eight out of the middle for the Demons.