Volleyball travels to NWSU for Southland opener
 
NATCHITOCHES, LA. -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team kicks off Southland Conference play with a Thursday night match against Northwestern State. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT). This match begins a stretch of five matches in nine days for UIW that will contain three road and two home matches, all against conference opponents.

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LAST TIME OUT

• The Cardinals are coming off a championship performance at the UIW Cardinals Classic last weekend, earning wins over Eastern Washington (3-1) and Alcorn State (3-0).
• Freshman outside hitter Bethany Clapp was named tournament MVP for her play. She finished the tournament with 32 kills on .462 hitting.
• Her .824 hitting percentage against Alcorn State is the most efficient performance of any player in the Southland Conference this season (with at least 12 kills).
• It was also the highest hitting percentage from a UIW player since Sarea Alexander hit .846 with 11 kills against New Orleans (10/22/16).
• Freshman middle blocker Carissa McGarity finished the day with 13 kills and five total blocks across seven sets.
• Both freshmen setters, Kendall Kilchrist (37 vs EWU) and Pilar Gonzaba (29 vs Alcorn St.) set season highs for assists in a single match last weekend.
• Sophomore outside hitter Julia Monday had 13 kills against EWU, a new season best.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Madelynn Miller recorded a season-best 29 digs against EWU. She finished the tournament with 35 digs in seven sets.
• Additionally, Miller's 4.24 digs per set in 2018 is third best in the Southland Conference.

 
 
CERTIFIED FRESH

• The Cardinal freshmen have asserted themselves as one of the top all-around freshman classes in the conference.
• McGarity sits among the top freshmen in the SLC with .88 blocks per set played. She also leads the team with 29.0 blocks this year.
• Gonzaba and Kilchrist have each eclipsed the 150 assist mark this season. Gonzaba currently leads the team at 159 assists to Kilchrist's 158.
• Kilchrist is averaging 7.52 assists per set played this year, sixth best in the SLC and second best among freshman.
• Gonzaba sits third best among freshmen in the conference with 6.12 assists per set
• Clapp has established herself as a premier offensive weapon on the outside. She leads the team with 93 kills, including 32 in her last two matches. Her .294 hitting percentage is second best among freshman in the SLC, ninth highest overall.
• Clapp has now posted at least eight kills in seven of her last eight matches.

 
 
MONDAY'S MONTH

• Monday enjoyed sensational results in her five September appearances this year.
• She posted 49 kills in five matches this month -- averaging over three kills per set -- after posting just 11 in her previous five showings this season.
• Her improvements have spanned far beyond offense. She has recorded 26 digs this month (86.7 percent of her season total -- 30) and eight total blocks (80 percent of her season total -- 10)
• She has recorded double-digit kills twice in this stretch (11 @ UTRGV and 13 vs EWU), giving her eight such matches in her UIW career.

 
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE

• NWSU enters Thursday's match after finishing out its non-conference schedule on a four-match losing streak (Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Texas A&M). They are 4-6 overall, 0-0 in SLC play.
• The Demons are paced offensively by the SLC leader in kills per set, Reagan Rogers (3.5 K/S).
• On the defensive side, Brooke Wood leads the team with 38 blocks in just 29 sets played, the best blocks/set rate in the SLC.
• NWSU leads the all-time series with UIW, 6-1, with the Cardinals' last win coming in 2015 (3-2).

UP NEXT
The Cardinals continue SLC play with two more road matches at Southeastern Louisiana, Sept. 22 (1 p.m.) and Lamar, Sept. 25 (7 p.m.). They follow that with a pair of matches at home -- Sept. 27 against Sam Houston State (7 p.m.) and Sept. 29 vs. Abilene Christian (2 p.m.) -- to complete five matches in nine days.
 
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