Sept. 29, 2006

BEAUMONT - With the top spot in the Southland Conference East division at stake, the Lamar University volleyball team will take on the McNeese State Cowgirls Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the SPAR Aquatic Center in Sulphur La.

Projected to be the top two teams in the Southland Conference East division in the preseason, the Cowgirls and Lady Cardinals got off to slow starts, posting records of 1-9 and 5-10 prior to conference play. Both teams kicked their level of play up a notch as SLC play opened, both defeating Northwestern State and Central Arkansas last weekend.

Lamar enters Saturday's match against the Cowgirls with a 6-11 record, having won three of their last four matches. The Lady Cardinals had a three-match winning streak snapped on Tuesday night when they lost to the Rice Owls 3-0 in the Montagne Center.

The Lady Cards have been led offensively by senior Buchi Okoh who has knocked down 209 kills (3.80 per game) and a .339 hitting percentage. Junior Molli Abel has added 157 kills (3.34 per match), sophomores Meagan Adams and Lauren Rush have knocked down 96 and 86 kills a piece while junior Courtney Mitchell has 89. The setting duties have been split between freshman Adrianne Meengs and sophomore Ashley Todd, with the two passing out 365 and 339 assists respectively.

Defensively, Lamar has been led by Alex Brink's team-high 222 digs, while Andrea Hamilton and Adams have picked up 160 and 119 respectively. At the net, the Lady Cards have been led by Okoh's 72 blocks (1.31 per game), while Courtney Mitchell and Ariel Drake have posted 42 and 40 blocks respectively.

McNeese enters Saturday's match with a 3-9 record, having won their previous two matches over Northwestern State and Central Arkansas. The Cowgirls entered SLC play with a 1-9 record, with their only win coming against Lamar during the opening weekend of the season at the Tulane Tournament.

The Cowgirls are led offensively by Tyler Chanel's 103 kills, while Sarah Cartie has passed out 401 assists. The McNeese defense has been keyed by Jessica Strama's 221 digs and Tiffany Baker's 42 blocks.

After Saturday's showdown with McNeese the Lady Cards will travel to Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana for SLC East matches on Friday October 6, and Saturday October 7.