THIBODAUX, La. – The third and final day of the Southland Conference Mid-Season Tournament took place on Sunday at the Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex with the HCU beach volleyball team earning a win over McNeese but dropping its final dual of the weekend to Stephen F. Austin.
A late morning start saw the Huskies (9-13, 4-4 SLC) earn a 5-0 sweep over the McNeese Cowgirls (9-11, 2-6 SLC). No. 4 pair
Karla Sanchez George and
Lauren Vickery picked up their 11
th win of the season to get HCU on the board first, winning 21-12, 21-12.
Paige Palmer and
Alisia Silverthorn followed with a three-set victory, 28-30, 21-16, 15-8, at the twos for the next point.
Kristin Gilmour and
Rachel Heilbrun took the point on court 1, 21-13, 21-13, before
Taylor Gardner and
Audrey Pearce picked up a 21-15, 21-19 victory on court 5. The final match of the dual went to
Alexa Landmark and
Tatum Lockhardt at flight 3, 15-21, 21-14, 15-10.
HCU then wrapped up the weekend against SFA (13-9, 5-3 SLC) with the LadyJacks taking a 4-1 win. Gilmour and Heilbrun kept rolling at the ones, winning 21-16, 21-16 for the Huskies' lone point. Gardner and Pearce won their first set at the fives before falling in three, 17-21, 21-19, 16-14, while on court 4, Sanchez George and Vickery fought back to win the second set before coming up just short in three, 21-15, 14-21, 16-14.
Gilmour and Heilbrun move to 14-7 for the season on court 1, leaving them one shy of the 15 single-season wins they attained last season. That 15 single season win mark ranks 10
th-best in a single season in program history while their 29 career wins as a pair is fourth-most in a single season and just five short of third.
The Huskies have two tournaments left before the SLC Championships, first heading to Baton Rouge, La. On Friday, Apr. 11, for the LSU Battle on the Bayou.
