With a 3-2 set win at University of New Orleans, the Lady Lion’s volleyball team will continue to the Southland Conference Tournament. 

Head Coach Jim Smoot was happy with the team’s performance and thought that making adjustments was helpful during the game. He also expressed that they are looking forward to being in the Southland Tournament.

“They’re really excited,” said Smoot. “It was our goal to make it. We had to make some adjustments. I made some personal adjustments.” 

Smoot was happy with the way the new 5-1 offense played and that the team was capable of handling it. 

“Most players that we put in picked it up and played great,” said Smoot. “I think they’re very, very excited about that.”

Madi Odom, senior outside hitter, credited personal successes as having helped against the New Orleans team. She regarded UNO as being a tough challenge and talked about how the different team structure helped them win. 

“I probably did really good hitting line,” said Odom. “They did have a lead blocker. We did really good serving so that really helped. Coach kind of changed the lineup.” 

The coach expressed his joy at the team moving on towards the conference tournament. 

“All the girls on the team wanted to go on,” said Smoot. “It could have been the end of their college career and they wanted to go on.”

Smoot attributed the win to several reasons, but one of the most significant was the break the girls had between playing. 

“We had a week off, which was unusual, between games,” said Smoot. “We were able to take last Monday off, then we had three really good practices and then we focused on what we needed to do at UNO and I think those were definite factors in helping us win.”

As a senior, middle blocker Rachael Bunn was happy that their volleyball career at the university did not end after the UNO game. She also credited the resting period the team had with helping them be prepared for the game and consequent win.

“Volleyball’s been our life for so many years and we’re really excited about the fact that we’re going to continue it,” said Bunn. “We’ve been having so many games, normally three games a week. It helped us, helped our bodies rest.”

Odom was glad that the team played so well, especially since if they had lost, it would have been her last game with the university.

“I thought we played really well,” said Odom. “I’m really excited about it. Being a senior, I’m really glad it didn’t end there.”

According to Smoot, the team had anticipated that UNO would be a challenge to beat, but they were able to defeat the other team.

“They were ready,” said Smoot. “Their hitters were very effective. We made some adjustments and our middle blocker did a good job of countering their attack.”

Odom described the team as having a strong motivation to win so that the season for the Lady Lions would not end. 

“We all really knew we needed to win that second game,” said Odom. “We knew we couldn’t lose.”

In this game, Odom tied her career high with 18 kills and tallied 19 digs and registered her eighth double-double. She gave credit to the team for rallying past their first loss to eventually win the game. 

“I thought we came together as a team,” said Odom. “I mean, the first set we were nervous cause we lost.”

Bunn, who had nine kills and four total blocks overall during the UNO game, expressed her elation that the team won as well as elaborating on how the team stayed motivated throughout the game.

“I’m really excited that we won and that we’re going to tour,” said Bunn. “Everyone not giving up, just fighting through it and still hoping for the best.”

The Southland Conference Tournament begins this Friday against Stephen F. Austin where the Lions volleyball team will compete in Conway, AR.