RUSTON – Northwestern State accomplished the first part of their weekend goals on Friday with a convincing 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-20) sweep of Southern in the annual Battle for the Boot Tournament.
 
The Demons (5-3) blitzed to a 2-0 match lead with .329 hitting percentage through the first two sets with 31 total kills and only three unforced hitting errors. The three primary offensive options during the match – Teresa Garza, Reaghan Thompson and Deja Benjamin – all had 10 or more kills. The offensive output serving as a welcome sight following the less than favorable one three days prior.
 
"We responded well after a frustrating loss," head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "Frustrating because of all the unforced errors we made and an inability to adapt to what Grambling was doing well. Southern had a lot of different ways to score and showed us a different lineup from when we saw them in Hattiesburg. So, our overall mindset and play was what we needed to see after the loss on Tuesday."
 
An 8-2 stretch midway through the first set pushed the Demons to the dominant first-set win, giving them a comfortable 19-9 lead. Garza, Thompson and Benjamin all provided kills over the final six points of the set as NSU committed one unforced error on 34 swings to take the win, holding the Jaguars to a .000 attack percentage for the set.
 
Garza and Benjamin combined to go 7-0-18 in the first, a .389 attack rate.
 
The trio accounted for 14 of NSU's 18 kills in the second set with Benjamin going a perfect 4-for-4 converting swings into kills in the set. She picked up two of her four kills in the critical moments of the set beyond the 20-point mark. Ten of the Demons final 11 points of the set came on kills as they hit a match-best .333 in the frame.

"The overall focus today was to stay disciplined and focused," Benjamin said. "When we stay consistent and keep high energy throughout the match, it keeps the game fun and allows me to be a good asset to the team. I told myself to not focus on the mistakes and focus on winning the game."
 
The production dipped slightly in the third with only 12 kills and a sub-.100 rate, but the Demon defense was just as locked in the third as it had been for the entire match.
 
Northwestern came in averaging just over 14 digs per set for the season. On Friday they produced a season-best 18.7 digs per set with four players reaching double figures in the match. Three finished with 12 digs – Thompson, Ashlyn Svoboda and Hunter MacFarland – with Garza's 11 earning her a fifth kill-dig double-double of the season, matching Thompson for the team lead in the category.
 
Setter Gabby Seeds averaged more than 11 assist per set for the second time this season and totaled 34 of the Demons' 37 assists in the match.
 
The Demons play their final non-conference match of the season on Saturday when it takes on Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m.