Southeastern takes 2 on final day of Dr. Pam Littleton Classic

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team closed out the Dr. Pam Littleton Classic with a pair of victories Saturday at Wisdom Volleyball Gym.

SLU (6-1) opened the day with a 25-12, 25-14, 25-13 sweep of Prairie View. In the nightcap, the Lady Lions outlasted Tennessee State, 25-9, 23-25, 28-26, 25-23.

In the opener, Southeastern posted a .338 attack percentage, behind Alexis Logarbo (nine kills, .692) and Hannah Brewer (eight kills, .571). The Lady Lions held Prairie View to -.083 hitting for the match, as Ansley Tullis finished with nine digs, while Brewer and Logarbo posted five blocks apiece.

The win over TSU was much more competitive, as Kailin Newsome (15 kills, 12 digs), Cicily Hidalgo (14 kills, 11 digs) and Peyton Stokley (17 assists, 10 digs) each posted double-doubles. Tullis topped SLU with 15 digs, while Gracie Duplechein narrowly missed a double-double of her own with a match-high 22 assists and nine digs. Brewer capped a solid day with a team-high six blocks versus Tennessee State.

Southeastern will head to Queens, New York to compete in the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic. SLU opens the tournament Friday with a 9 a.m. match versus host St. John’s, before facing Stonehill College at 4 p.m. The Lady Lions take on Bryant to close the tournament Saturday at 10 a.m.

Match One – Southeastern 3, Prairie View 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-13)

A 7-0 run early in the first set broke an early tie and Southeastern never looked back. The Lady Lions finished with a .385 attack percentage on the way to a 25-12 opening set.

The second set was more of the same, as SLU broke open a close set midway through. A Brewer ace capped a 25-14 second set for Southeastern and gave the Lady Lions a 2-0 cushion.

The Lady Lions stretched a 6-4 lead in the final set to 14-4 with eight straight points. The Panthers would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way, as Southeastern closed out the match with a 25-13 final set.

Match Two – Southeastern 3, Tennessee State 1 (25-9, 23-25, 28-26, 25-23)

Southeastern used a .353 hitting percentage to dominate the opening set. The Lady Lions scored the first 10 points of the set and led by as much as 22-3 in a 25-9 set.

SLU scored the first four points of the second set, but TSU responded. Back-to-back kills by Kennedy Davis and Carla Boudal evened the match, as the Tigers took the second set, 25-23.

The third set featured eight ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points in a set that Hidalgo capped with a kill to give Southeastern a 2-1 lead.

Southeastern never trailed in the final set, but never led by more than four points. A kill by Hidalgo broke a 23-23 tie, then a set error by TSU ended the match for the Lady Lions.