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The annual volleyball Green and Gold match, scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the University Center, kicks off home athletic events for the 2021-22 school year at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Admission is free and fans are asked to enter the building through Gate 3. University policy requires proper social distancing techniques – maintain a minimum distance of six feet from others, wear a face covering over both their nose and mouth, and wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizing stations are located throughout Southeastern’s athletic facilities.

Thursday’s match is the first of two exhibition contests this week for the volleyball program. The Lady Lions will travel to Monroe, Louisiana this weekend for a 3 p.m. match Saturday at ULM.

SLU returns eight players off last season’s 11-5 squad that finished third in the Southland Conference.

Leading the way for the Lady Lions are preseason All-Conference selections Crispin Adams and Karlee Wilkerson. The duo are also Southeastern’s top returning point scorers.

Adams came on strong in the season’s final month, posting double-digit kills against Central Arkansas and first-place SFA. Posting the highest attack percentage by a Lady Lion during the spring, Adams was on fire in the month of March with a .351 attack percentage and averaged 1.81 kills (per set). For the season, the middle blocker from Brookshire, Texas hit .260 while averaging 1.44 kills and 0.73 blocks (per set).

Wilkerson appeared in every set this past spring, recording 1.87 kills (per set) while hitting at a .199 clip. The senior opposite side hitter from Springfield, Louisiana recorded double-digit kills five times and finished with nine in two other matches. She ranked third on the team with 0.42 blocks (per set) and 140.0 total points scored.

Also returning are setters Calli Collins (4.98 assists/set and 13 service aces) and Ariana Hebert (5.24 assists/set and 17 service aces), outside hitters Jolie Hidalgo (1.39 kills/set), Nylissa Snagg (redshirted) and Addison Vidrine (1.32 kills/set), and libero Ansley Tullis (4.24 digs/set and 10 service aces).

Head coach Jeremy White, the reigning Southland Conference Coach of the Year, and associate head coach Gabby Ording brought in a talented class of newcomers to keep the program trending in an upward direction.

Highlighted by outside hitter Cicily Hidalgo, the 2019 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year, joining the Lady Lions this season are middle blockers India Bennett, Hannah Haerer and Kibi Huggins, outside hitter Hannah Brewer, and setters Gracie Duplechein and Lexi Gonzalez.

UP NEXT
Southeastern opens the regular season with a pair of matches next weekend at the StarkVegas Classic in Starkville, Mississippi. The Lady Lions will face Gonzaga, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. before matching up with host Mississippi State, Aug. 28, at 4 p.m.

DIGGIN’ IT CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern volleyball program are encouraged to join the Diggin’ It Club. Lion volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Diggin’ It Club and S Club (volleyball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpVB or @JWhiteSLU on Twitter, @LionUpVB on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.