Newsome powers Southeastern past Tulane in season opener

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Kailin Newsome starred for Southeastern Louisiana in her collegiate debut Thursday evening, helping power the Lady Lions to a season-opening win against Tulane at the Hertz Center.

Newsome, a freshman from Houston, Texas, recorded a match-high 23 kills to pace a Southeastern (1-0) offense that posted a combined .239 attack percentage in the match.

The Lady Lions rallied after dropping a hard-fought opening set to the Green Wave (2-1), taking the final three sets to knock off Tulane for the second time in as many seasons.

Southeastern scored the first three points of the match, holding off the Green Wave until they took a 12-11 lead. Falling behind late, the Lady Lions needed to score three-straight at set point to avoid a setback. A kill by senior Ryan Maddera tied up the set and Newsome provided the kill that put Southeastern on top, 25-24. The teams traded points until Tulane rattled off the final three to claim the opener.

The Lady Lions took an early lead, once again, in the second set before falling behind by as much as six. Scoring seven of the final eight points, Southeastern bounced back to even up the match. Following a service ace from Ansley Tullis, Newsome sealed it with another kill.

In set No. 3, the Green Wave jumped out to the initial lead but Southeastern never looked back after Newsome put the Lady Lions in front, 4-3. Three-consecutive points late in the fourth set gave the Lady Lions a 23-20 lead and proved to be the final margin needed to claim the match.

Maddera contributed 13 kills to the Southeastern offensive attack. Calli Collins, a freshman from Alleyton, Texas, handed out a team-leading 30 assists. A Preseason All-Southland Conference selection, Sam Gomez hit .429 while recording seven kills. The senior from Mandeville, Louisiana also posted a match-high eight blocks. Tullis, a freshman from Slidell, Louisiana, contributed a match-high 18 digs as the libero and Lizzy Low chipped in another 11 for the Lady Lions.

Lexie Douglas led four Tulane players in double-figure kills with 16. Kayla Dinkins posted seven total blocks and Makala Heidelberg contributed 18 digs for the Green Wave.

UP NEXT
Southeastern takes on Southern Miss in a doubleheader Friday in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The matches against the Golden Eagles (3-1) are slated for 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Neither match is open to the general public. A free video stream is available on CUSA.tv and links are provided on the volleyball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.

DIGGIN’ IT CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern volleyball program are encouraged to join the Diggin’ It Club. Lion volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Diggin’ It Club and S Club (volleyball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpVB or @JWhiteSLU on Twitter, @LionUpVB on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.