CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Fourth-seeded HBU faces fifth-seeded Northwestern State in the quarterfinals to open the 2017 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Dugan Wellness Center.
The Huskies (20-9, 11-5 SLC) recorded their first 20-win season since head coach
Trent Herman's first season at HBU in 2012 and posted their highest SLC finish by tying for third with an 11-5 mark. HBU is led by senior outside hitters
Bailey Banks and
Jessica Wooten, who were both named first-team all-conference. Banks ranks fourth in the league with 3.60 kills per set, while adding 3.10 digs per set and ranking fourth in the league with 0.41 aces per set. Wooten leads the conference in double-doubles with 16, ranking eighth in the league with 2.99 kills per set and 10
th with 3.54 digs per set. Redshirt freshman right side
Ashtyn Richey chips in with 1.89 kills per set. Junior setter
Madison O'Brien paces the offense with 9.43 assists, 2.12 digs and 1.18 kills per set.
Senior middle blocker
Blair Gillard, who earned second-team all-conference honors, leads the Southland with 1.31 blocks per set, while adding 1.90 kills per set and junior middle blocker
Kayla Davenport adds 1.07 blocks and 1.32 kills per set. Senior libero
Hailey Erickson ranks eighth in the league with 4.05 digs per set and sophomore defensive specialist
Hannah Lewis comes up with 2.01 digs per set.
Reagan Rogers averages 3.60 kills and 2.52 digs per set for the Lady Demons (15-16, 10-6). Southland Freshman of the Year Hannah Brister adds 2.50 kills per set and Kathryn Wristen directs the offense with 9.77 assists per set. Channing Burleson, who was voted the league's Libero of the Year, averaging 4.83 digs per set.
The HBU-NSU winner will face the winner of the 11 a.m. match between top-seeded Stephen F. Austin and eighth-seeded Abilene Christian. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Central Arkansas battles No. 7 McNeese at 4 p.m. and No. 3 and host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi takes on No. 6 Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m.
The tournament champion receives the Southland's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. HBU has made the tournament all five seasons it has been in the Southland, with its best showing coming in 2015 when the Huskies fell in the championship match to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Friday's and Saturday's matches can be seen on southland.org/live and also available on the Southland Conference apps for iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Sunday's championship match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
