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The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team picked up an exhibition win in four sets over ULM, 25-16, 14-25, 25-15, 25-19, Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Outside hitter Cicily Hidalgo, a freshman from Lafayette, Louisiana, recorded a match-high 17 kills, turning in a double-double for the Lady Lions, and preseason All-Conference selection Karlee Wilkerson, a senior from Springfield, Louisiana, contributed 12 kills.

“I felt like we grew a little throughout the game,” head coach Jeremy White said. “We had a lot of young kids going early. Our confidence grew during the match, especially after experiencing more success. It was also nice to see every one of our players find out what it feels like to win a set out on the floor.”

After an attack error to open up the match, SLU scored nine of the next 10 points to take a commanding lead. The Lady Lions held ULM to a negative attack percentage (-.037) on the way to claiming the opening set.

ULM bounced back in the second set, taking advantage of what White called “freshman mistakes” to even up the match.

After hitting .138 and .139 over the course of the first two sets, Southeastern’s offense stepped it up to secure the victory. The Lady Lions hit .345 in the third set and .245 in the final set, elevating their blocking as well for an all-around team effort.

For the match, SLU outhit the Warhawks .219 to .146 and threw up eight blocks. Preseason All-Conference selection Crispin Adams contributed seven kills and had a hand in on a team-leading three blocks. Ariana Hebert (26 assists) and Gracie Duplechein (11 assists) split setting duties. Hebert, a junior from Lafayette, Louisiana, also served up a match-high four aces.

Ansley Tullis, a sophomore libero from Slidell, Louisiana, led all players with 18 digs while Hidalgo chipped in another 11 to record he double-double.

UP NEXT
Southeastern opens the regular season with a pair of matches next weekend at the StarkVegas Classic in Starkville, Miss. 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.