HAMMOND, Louisiana – The top two teams in the Southland Conference (SLC) meet Thursday when the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team plays the Southeastern Lions. First serve from the University Center in Hammond is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The Vaqueros (12-7, 8-0 SLC) defeated the Lamar Cardinals on Saturday 3-0 behind a balanced effort. Junior outside hitter Martina Franco had 11 kills with 11 digs for her sixth consecutive double-double while freshman middle blocker Jasmyn Walker notched career highs of nine kills and four blocks. Redshirt junior Harlingen High alum Julianna Bryant and freshman outside hitter Soukeyna Diouf both contributed six kills, and Bryant recorded five blocks. Freshman setter Lana Rnjak had 29 assists with seven digs and senior libero Celianiz Cabranes had 14 digs with two aces. Senior middle blocker Aaliyah Snead had five blocks and senior defensive specialist Isa Bento tacked on three aces.

The Lions (10-11, 7-1 SLC) have won seven straight and are second in the SLC standings. On Saturday, they defeated the Houston Christian Huskies 3-1. Opposite hitter Kyra McKelvey led the way with 13 kills, followed by outside hitter Gracie Brown with 11. Setter Ashley Richardson posted a 33-assist, 11-dig double-double. On the defensive side, the Lions combined for 11 blocks as a team, McKelvey tallied a career-high seven blocks to pace all players in the matchup.

Southeastern leads the all-time series over UTRGV 3-2. Last season, the Vaqueros won a five-set thriller at home. In that match, Cabranes had 28 digs and Franco tallied 20 kills. Thursday will be the third time that the matchup will take place in Hammond with the Lions winning both previous meetings.

In Southland Conference play, both teams have been efficient. Southeastern is second in the SLC in hitting percentage at .252, and UTRGV is fourth at .246. The Vaqueros lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.139) and points per set (18.19). Southeastern is third in opponent hitting percentage (.187) and fourth in points per set (17.11). Both teams are also among the league's best at the net, with the Lions second in blocks per set at 2.55 and UTRGV third at 2.35.

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