Indoor Volleyball 

Over the weekend, the Lady Lions (18-8, 10-4 SLC) suffered a loss on their Senior Night in the University Center after No.1 SFA (18-7, 13-1 SLC) forced the match into the fifth set from a late comeback in the third set.

Throughout the match, SLU was ahead through the first set 25-21 and the second set 25-21 to take the lead over the Jacks.

Late in the third set, Southeastern had the advantage 21-20, until Stephon F. Austin had a four-point run to take the set 25-21 and spark a comeback.

In the fourth, SFA went back and forth with SLU but took the set 25-22 to force the game into a fifth set.

As the match progressed, Southeastern came up short 15-7 since the Jacks went on multiple runs throughout the set to keep the Lady Lions from taking the lead.

In the end, SLU finished the match with 65 kills, with junior middle blocker Ainsley Driska (18) leading the way alongside senior middle blockers Alexis Logarbo (15) and India Bennett (13).

Before the match, seniors Lexi Gonzales, Lily Morgan, Peyton Stokley, Logarbo and Bennett were congratulated by fans and family for their accomplishments in their athletic careers at Southeastern.

“This is an incredible team we have; we’ve been through many obstacles throughout the year with injuries and hit some setbacks, but I know my kids are out there because they want to win and they’re playing their hearts out, which is all I have to go with,” McBride said.

The Lady Lions will play their last games of the season on the road against Nicholls on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 6:30 p.m. in Thibadeaux and McNeese on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. in Lake Charles.

Womens Basketball

Last week, the SLU women’s basketball team started its season with a 105-49 win at the University Center against Centenary on Tuesday, but was defeated by No. 5 Lady Tigers 115-26 in Baton Rouge on Thursday night.

During their win against Centenary, SLU went into the second half 22 points ahead and continued to dominate, allowing only 17 points in the second half.

In the next game, the Lady Lions struggled with multiple turnovers against the LSU defense and scored six points in the first half.

Southeastern shook off the jitters by playing tough on defense and managed to stop the Tigers from scoring a few threes, but couldn’t stop them in the paint.

Even though the Tigers were ahead by over 50 points, it lit a spark on the team to play with nothing to lose; they went into the fourth with more points on the board and found a groove that worked for them.

Freshman guard Natalie Huff put her best effort to win despite the loss and showcased her capabilities against a strong defense.

Alongside her, freshman guard Mari Dangerfield got off the bench, then shot 3-5 in the paint and went 2-3 from three late in the game.

The Lady Lions will continue their tough away schedule with a game against Arkansas on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Tennis

Over the weekend of Nov. 7-9, Southeastern tennis closed out its preseason in Hammond by hosting the George E. Fourmaux Fed Cup Invitational. 

The Lady Lions defeated Dillard, Lamar, LSU Alexandria and Louisiana Christian with an overall record of 17-2 in singles and 6-3 in doubles.

SLU started with back-to-back wins on Friday against Dillard, 5-0 and ended the day 4-2 with doubles matches against LSUA.

Bright and early on Saturday Morning, the Lady Lions won their match against Lamar 4-1 and ended the evening with a 4-1 win against Louisiana Christian in doubles matches.

On Sunday afternoon, SLU faced LSUA in singles to finish the invitational 5-1 over the Bengals.

Freshmen Adriana Tirado, Mariam Tetradze and Mariam Makashvili contributed to the undefeated weekend, with each winning 3-0 in singles.

The duo of junior Taisia Bolsova and sophomore Aitana Darder went 2-0 in singles and won their double matches through the invitational. 

Southeastern Tennis will begin its spring season on the road against LSU Alexandria on Friday, Jan 30, with the time still being determined in Alexandria.

Baseball

The SLU baseball team faced off against the LSU Tigers, the defending national champions, in two exhibition matches on Sunday in front of a packed Hammond crowd. SLU lost 7-2 in the first match and 2-1 in the second match. 

Although the Lions failed to defeat LSU in either match, they kept things interesting for most of the afternoon. 

After LSU jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first match, a pair of runs in the eighth brought the Lions back into the game before the Tigers broke it open with four runs in the ninth.

In the second match, they stifled the defending champion’s offense, holding them to just two runs. 

SLU will trod back onto the Pat Kennelly Diamond at Alumni Field next Sunday, Nov. 16 at at 1 p.m. for their last exhibition match against Southern. Fans can come watch live. 

As always, stay tuned to The Lion’s Roar for all things Lions sports.