Freshman setter Michelle Mirarchi had a career night in the victory against Nicholls State recording 28 assists and 11 digs. Against McNeese, Mirarchi had 10 assists. File Photo/The Lion's Roar

The Lady Lions volleyball team ended their 14-game losing streak by defeating Nicholls State University 3-1. The win was followed by a 3-0 defeat against McNeese State University.  

In the first game, the Lady Lions won 25-22, 25-12, 20-25, 29-27 against the in-state rivals away from home. Redshirt sophomore right side Elyssa Purcell and sophomore middle blocker Savannah Alcazar made 17 and 14 kills respectively. Freshman setter Michelle Mirarchi broke her own personal record with 28 assists, and junior libero Lexie Torres recorded career-best 21 digs.

Head Coach Jim Smoot was happy with the team’s performance.

“I think that was the best match we played in all season,” said Smoot. “Everybody performed very well.”

According to Smoot, the victory in the first game restored confidence in the players.

“I think it gave them confidence,” said Smoot. “It showed that when we do execute, we can be successful, and the other thing is our blocking was really strong, probably the best performance we’ve had with that so far. That’s the area we’ve been emphasizing on. So it was good to see that we improved so much in that area.”

Smoot explained how the players felt about not qualifying for the Southland Conference Tournament.

“I’m sure that’s a disappointment, but I think they’ve done a good job of finishing strong and doing the best we can for the rest of the season,” said Smoot.

In the second game against McNeese, the Lady Lions fell short of a victory as the Cowgirls won 25-23, 25-16, 25-14. Sophomore hitter Chloee Holden had the most kills in the game with eight while junior setter Haley Baker assisted 12 times. Torres had team-high 10 digs during the match.

Smoot explained why the team was unable to get a second victory.

“We started off very strong,” said Smoot. “McNeese runs a very unique offense, very different than anybody else that we’ve played. We had developed the game plan to combat that, and that worked very well. But unfortunately, our fundamentals, basics, mostly passing broke down and we weren’t able to run the offense. So we did the difficult thing, and then we didn’t do well with our basic skills.”

The Lady Lions will be visiting the University of New Orleans on Nov. 7 and then Houston Baptist University on Nov. 11.

Smoot shared his hopes for the upcoming games.

“I’d like to see the girls continue to have a positive attitude,” said Smoot. “So go after the next two opponents and get the win and finish strong.”