THIBODAUX, Louisiana -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team is well rested and ready to attack the final stretch of its regular season. That stretch begins with the finals SLC road trip of the season for the Cardinals, as they head to the Pelican State for a pair of matches against Nicholls (Thurs. at 6:30 p.m. CT) and New Orleans (Sat. at 1:00 p.m.).

FOLLOW ALONG
Live Stats vs. Nicholls
Live Stats vs. New Orleans
Watch vs. New Orleans

LAST TIME OUT

• UIW won its second road conference game of the season, 3-1, at McNeese last Tuesday (Oct. 16).
• Freshman outside hitter Bethany Clapp earned a season-high 20 kills to lead all players.
• She becomes the first UIW freshman to hit 20-or-more kills in a match since 2015.
• She finished with 10 digs to collect her third double-double of the season, the most double-doubles on the team.
• The UIW defense posted a season-best 13 blocks, led by senior middle blocker Maddie Slaughter, who finished with six.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Alyssa Carlin enjoyed one of her best matches of the season, leading the team with a career-high 15 digs. It was her third 10+ dig effort of the season and the seventh of her career.
• Freshman outside hitter Chloe Patton was a menace at the net, earning a season-best four blocks after entering play with just two blocks in her career.
• Sophomore libero Madelynn Miller contributed to the offensive output, posting a season best, and tying her career high, with three aces.
• Sophomore right side hitter Julia Monday had one of her best outputs of the season, finishing with 15 kills, five digs and three blocks.
• Freshman setter Kendall Kilchrist came off the bench to lead the team with 38 assists tonight. Her fourth 30+ assist match of the season.
• Freshman setter Pilar Gonzaba finished with nine assists. She now has 404 assists this season, the most by a freshman at UIW in a single season since joining Division I.

STORYLINES

• The Cardinal freshmen have asserted themselves as one of the top all-around freshman classes in the conference.
• Clapp has established herself as a premier offensive weapon on the outside. She leads the team with 225 kills, including 132 in SLC matches. Her 3.26 kills per set is the best among freshman in the conference, sixth best overall.
• She posted an .824 hitting percentage in UIW's victory over Alcorn State (9/15), the best attacking percentage for a single match in the conference (minimum of 12 kills).
• Clapp has now become the first freshman to eclipse 200 kills in her debut season since 2015, and just the fourth freshman to do so since UIW joined DI in 2013.
• Gonzaba now owns 404 assists this season. She now holds the UIW DI record for most assists by a freshman in a single season – previously held by Madison Williams (402) set in the 2014 season.
• Her 42-assist performance in UIW's 3-0 win over SHSU (Sept. 27) stands as the most assists by anyone in the SLC over the course of a 3-set match. Her 54-assist match against Abilene Christian (Sept. 29) is the fifth most assists in a single match in the conference this season.
• On the year, Gonzaba sits second best among freshmen in the conference, and seventh best overall, with 7.48 assists per set.
• Freshman middle blocker Carissa McGarity sits among the top freshmen in the SLC with 0.93 blocks per set played. She also leads the team with 67.0 blocks this year.
• Miller leads the team with 274 digs. She stands third in the conference in digs per set, averaging 4.50.
• Slaughter has been making the most of her senior season. She has posted career highs in kills (98), digs (21) and blocks (32.0).

 
CARDINALS IN CONFERENCE

• UIW has a 3-7 SLC record.
• Miller leads the SLC with 182 digs. She ranks fifth in the conference in digs per set, averaging 4.67.
• Clapp is second in the conference in total kills (132), the only freshman in the conference with triple digit kills in conference play.
• She is also the top freshman in the conference, fourth best overall, in kills per set (3.47).
• The Corpus Christi native holds three double-doubles in conference play (@ SLU, Sept. 22 and vs ACU, Sept. 29 and @MCN,    Oct. 16).
• Gonzaba owns 245 assists and averages 8.75 assists per set in conference play. That's the eighth best average in the conference and third best among qualifying freshman setters.

 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK

• UIW sits in 11^th place in the conference heading into the weekend, two games behind the No.5 seeded team (McNeese).
• Only the top eight teams in the conference qualify for the SLC Tournament in Natchitoches, La. next month (Nov. 15-18).
• UIW has six conference games remaining, five of which come against teams ranked No.5-No.10 in the conference at this point (McNeese, A&M-CC, HBU, New Orleans and Lamar).

SCOUTING NICHOLLS

• The Colonels currently occupy last place in the conference (3-21, 1-10). They enter the match on a seven-match losing streak dating back to Sept. 27 (W, 3-0 vs. SLU).
• They are led by Heidi Carpenter. She has put up 130 kills this season, 295 assists, 186 digs and 18 blocks. She is one of four SLC student-athletes this season to record a triple-double and the only one to do so in SLC play – 10 kills, 18 digs and 59 assists at ACU (Oct. 9).
• UIW leads the all-time series against Nicholls, 4-1, the only loss came in 2015 (3-2).

 
SCOUTING NEW ORLEANS

• The Privateers enter the weekend ninth in the SLC (10-16, 4-7). They enter the match in the midst of a seven-match losing streak dating back to Sept. 29 (W, 3-0 vs SLU).
• Despite the losing streak, New Orleans is 7-5 when playing at home.
• The Privateers employ a three-pronged attack, with Kaitlyn Grice (243), Blessing Dunn (233) and Brianna Vega (211) accounting for 57 percent of the team's total kills.
• UIW leads the all-time series against New Orleans, 4-1, the only loss came last season (3-2).

 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals return to the McDermott Center for a weekend of matches with heavy post-season implications. UIW will face host a rematch against Lamar on Thursday (Nov. 1 at 7:00 p.m.), after falling in four sets to LU back in September. Then, UIW will attempt a season-sweep of McNeese, when the Cowgirls visit town next Saturday (Nov.3 at 10:30 a.m.).

FOLLOW ALONG
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