Sept. 26, 2008

BEAUMONT, Texas - After being sidelined for two weeks due to Hurricane Ike, the Lamar University volleyball team returns to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon when they host the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 3 p.m. at McDonald Gym

Not only is it Lamar's first action in two weeks, Saturday's contest is the first home match of the year for the Lady Cardinals and is the Southland Conference opener for both teams. Lamar enters the match with a 2-7 record while SHSU comes in with a record of 5-11.

"This is our first time to play at home this season and we need to come out strong," head coach Justin Gibert said. "We need to start the match strong and get our home crowd into the match. If we get off to a good start, it will hopefully carry us through the match."

The Lady Cardinals have had a steady stream of misfortune this season, as injuries, illness and a pair of hurricanes has hampered them. In addition to their injuries and illnesses which have sidelined several key players through the early part of the season, five of Lamar's matches have been cancelled because of hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Despite the adversity they have faced, Gibert thinks his team could be stronger for having gone through so much to start the season.

"I'm hoping this early adversity will strengthen our team," he said. "I think it is going to make us tougher and help us persevere in the tough matches. When things aren't going our way, these experiences will help us get through it."

Last year the Lady Cardinals tore through SLC play, posting a 15-1 record en route to a conference championship. This season, Gibert is looking for the team to recapture the fire it had a year ago.

"This team has the ability to play the way we did last year," he said. "Unfortunately because of the time off and matches we've missed, we haven't been able to build any momentum to show that yet."

After their match against the Bearkats the Lady Cardinals will hit the road to take on UT Arlington and Texas State next Friday and Saturday.