Soccer – Sean Hoffman
Earlier this month, the Southeastern Lady Lions soccer team played exhibition matches against Pearl River Community College and the University of Louisiana Lafayette before their first official game of the season.
Throughout the offseason, SLU signed three junior transfers and five true freshmen to fill the gaps left by former SLU veterans.
On Sunday, during their preseason match against the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Lady Lions were passive, protecting their goal, but as the game progressed, the team became more aggressive offensively.
A player who demonstrated her offensive capability was junior transfer Brooke Opferman, who drove the ball downfield multiple times throughout the game.
In the second half, one of the five true freshmen, Alex Knight, became comfortable and took the ball away from the opponent’s goalie and scored.
After the match, Head Coach Nathan Gillespie gave his impression of the new team so far.
“It’s been a good preseason, we lost nine seniors who started last year and so far we’re happy with what we’ve seen from our new players. They’re giving everything they’ve got and it’s giving us confidence for the future,” Gillespie said.
The Lady Lions communicated frequently, both on and off the field, throughout the match.
Some teammates might’ve argued, but everyone made sure they were in sync with one another and talked it out before yelling “family” while leaving the team huddle.
Kendall Curran, the goalie who won the SLC Newcomer of the Year award in 2024, expressed the team considers itself a family after spending countless hours together throughout the summer.
“We’ve spent almost 24/7 together. It’s a lot of team bonding with new players, getting to know them and letting them get to know us. We want to embody what it means to be close with one another on and off the field because we all come from different backgrounds and this is our family away from families back home,” Curran said.
The Lady Lions lost their first regular-season match against the University of Louisiana Monroe, 4-0.
Southeastern started the game aggressively and had multiple scoring opportunities, but struggled to find the back of the net.
Monroe found their way around the SLU defense in the 16th minute after Beth Strutton scored the Warhawks’ first goal of the season.
Throughout the rest of the match, the Lady Lions continued to battle with ULM but remained scoreless, while Monroe scored once more in the first period and twice in the second.
Southeastern will travel to face off against Troy in their next match at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 22, before playing their home opener against Jackson State University at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24.
Volleyball – Romeo Agdamag
With the 2025 season just around the corner, the Lady Lions make their final preparations to continue their dominance in the Southland Conference.
During the offseason, their previous head coach, Jeremy White, stepped down after the 2024 season, with former assistant coach Lee McBride taking over White’s role as head coach.
McBride brought in Allison Byler as associate head coach and signed four new players to the roster, including junior transfer Mina Petrovic and incoming freshman Abby Bailey, who both play the outside position, filling a significant offensive gap left by graduate Cicily Hidalgo.
They will be accompanied by incoming freshmen Gracie Brown and Ayla Klingenberg. Both of them will fill in at the middle blocker position to aid on defense.
“We have a great culture developed here. Having all these players is huge for us to go from what we did last year to doing better this year. I love their attitudes, the work ethic they put in and their willingness to be coached to improve things for the better. It’s a great vibe here,” McBride said.
The Lions will return 14 players from last season, including both All-Conference honorees in 2024, senior middle blocker India Bennett and junior opposite hitter Kyra McKelvey.
Key veterans such as senior opposite hitter Alexis Logarbo and libero Lexi Gonzalez, ranked 10th among returning liberos, will return for their final season as Lady Lions.
After an error-filled finals match against Corpus Christi in last year’s Southland Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament, the team is determined to right those wrongs. With McBride now at the helm, Southeastern is focused on returning to the title match to finish the job.
“There’s an expectation of success here, so we’re looking to build and continue to do that. With the players we have returning and the new group coming in, we feel like we are in a great position to win the conference championship again,” McBride said.
Southeastern’s Indoor Volleyball team will host their annual green and gold match on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. in the University Center.
The Lady Lions play their first official match on Friday, Aug. 29 against the University of Louisiana Monroe at 7 p.m. in the Southeastern Showdown in Hammond.
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