The Southeastern volleyball intramural team beat ULM two sets to zero in the Louisiana College Intramural Recreational Sports Association (LCIRSA) tournament, winning the championship game.
On Nov. 22, the team competed in a qualifying pool for the playoffs, losing to ULM’s second team one set to two and to Southern University two sets to zero.
One player, Gabriella Beaudette, noted the early part of the tournament and its challenges.
“After competing on the first day of the tournament, we all agreed some changes needed to be made. A lot of communication and lineup changes were made…ultimately, those changes helped lead us to the championship,” she said.
The team rebounded against Northwestern State, beating them in two sets and securing the fourth seed in the playoff bracket. Over the course of the playoffs, they defeated Southern University 28-26 in the first set and 25-7 in the second.
In the final, SLU won the rematch against ULM, winning the LCIRSA championship.
Marshall Graves, the assistant director of competitive sports and fitness services at The REC, said, “This team was created from our co-ed intramural league, as many of the girls played on different teams within that division.” He talked about the diverse array of players who came together to win the tournament.
Beaudette also emphasized the team’s newness. “We had a lot of new faces this year. The majority of the team had never been to the state tournament,” she added.
Graves said he knew the team played well even though he was not present for every match.
According to Beaudette, she and her teammates were excited about winning the tournament. She said, “The whole team was excited…when we won, it was very surreal.”
