Lady Cardinals Hosts McNeese State Saturday at 3 p.m.

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Lamar seeks 10th straight win, 5-0 start to SLC East play

Oct. 5, 2007

BEAUMONT - As the Lamar University volleyball team prepares to host their No. 1 rival McNeese State at McDonald Gym at 3 p.m. on Saturday, they have a check list of motivation to take down the defending Southland Conference East Division champions.

Reason No. 1 is their current record of 4-0 in conference play and 13-7 overall. A win Saturday would boost LU to 5-0, and keep them among the ranks of the unbeaten in the conference. Stephen F. Austin enters their match at Texas State on Saturday as the only other team to remain unbeaten, boasting a 5-0 record after defeating Texas Arlington on Thursday night.

Reason No. 2 is the Lady Cardinals current nine-match win streak. The record for consecutive wins in school history is 19, accomplished in 1977. The longest win streak in the last 10 years was 12 straight in 2002 and the 1996 squad rolled up 13 straight wins. Ten consecutive victories would put this team in a tie for the fourth longest winning streak in school history.

"This match is particularly important because a win would make us the dominant team in the East," head coach Justin Gibert said. "To remain undefeated, keeps us in the conference race. We're not used to being in this position. We're breaking ground and running with it and trying to build our confidence."

Reason No. 3 is the pride of remaining the top offensive team in the Southland Conference. The Lady Cardinals enter the match as the top team in hitting percentage (.226), kills (15.62 kills per game) and assists with 14.47 assists per game. The strong offensive production has helped LU match their 2006 season win total of 13, and is a point of emphasis for Gibert and his players.

"Once we saw we were near the top of the conference in all of the offensive categories it wasn't enough," he said. "We wanted to be at the top, not just close to it. It's definitely as sign that we can play with anybody in this conference, and that we are one of the best teams in the in the conference."

 

Reason No. 4 is redemption. The Cowgirls handed Lamar four losses last season, the final defeat coming in the SLC tournament after Lamar had staked a 2-0 lead. McNeese has won eight of the last ten meetings with the Lady Cards, with the last LU victory coming in 2005 when Lamar won 3-2 in Beaumont.

"We don't really think about last year, but we know we were the second best in the East," Gibert said. "They kept us from meeting a few of our goals last season, so this match is going to be important for us. Every match is important. Every time you can pick up a win it is important for building confidence, and this match is important for us to maintain the level we've been playing at."

The Lamar offense is led by senior Molli Abel's 3.24 kills per game while posting 1.16 blocks per game. Sophomore Kaci Brewer has also been a mainstay in the LU offense posting 3.11 kills per game, while freshman Destiny Mason has averaged 2.29 kills and 3.13 digs per game. Sophomore setter Adrianne Meengs has passed out 11.04 assists per game and the LU defense is anchored by Andrea Hamilton, who is averaging 4.79 digs per game.

McNeese enters the match with an 8-9 overall record and a 2-2 record in SLC play, on the heels of a 3-1 loss at Central Arkansas last Saturday. The Cowgirls are led by Alyson Jones' 3.15 kills per game, while Jennifer Cook has averaged 2.75 kills per game. Sarah Cartie has passed out 10.77 assists per game, and the Cowgirl defense is led by Jessica Strama's 5.77 digs per game.

After Saturday's showdown with McNeese, the Lady Cardinals will be in action again of Friday, October 12 when they host the Nicholls State Lady Colonels at 7 p.m. at McDonald Gym.

 

http://lamarcardinals.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/100507aaa.html

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Go LU!!!!!!!

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The ladies have won 10 in a row.