NEW ORLEANS, La. – The 2025 Southland Conference Beach Volleyball Championship tournament begins on Wednesday at Privateer Beach with the Huskies taking on Stephen F. Austin at 11:00 a.m.
The Huskies (12-18, 4-4 SLC) come into the tournament as the No. 5 seed with SFA (20-12, 5-3 SLC) owning the No. 4 seed. The two teams met once this season, a 4-1 Lumberjacks victory at the Southland Mid-Season Tournament in March. HCU's No. 1 pair of
Kristin Gilmour and
Rachel Heilbrun earned the Huskies' point in that dual, defeating second team all-conference pair Katherine Hansen and Tessa Rogers in two sets (21-16, 21-16).
Gilmour and Heilbrun have provided a steady presence on Court 1 for HCU, boasting an 18—9 record during their sophomore campaign. The duo's 18 wins tie for sixth-most in a single season by an HCU pair and their career 33 wins places them fourth on the all-time pairs wins list, just one behind Lindsey Harris and
Kristen Kleymeyer for third.
Paired together recently,
Audrey Pearce and
Lauren Vickery have gone 3-3 on Court 3 over the last six duals.
SFA most recently went 2-2 at the LSU Battle on the Bayou with wins over Southern Miss and New Orleans while falling to South Carolina and Tulane. The Lumberjacks' No. 1 pair of Hansen and Rogers finished 2-2 with wins against South Carolina and Tulane. Elaina Amador and Kelly Johnson were named second team all-conference on Court 3.
The winner of Wednesday's 11:00 a.m. matchup will go on to face the winner of No. 1 Boise State vs. either New Orleans or Nicholls at 3:00 p.m. The loser of the matchup with SFA will play Thursday, Apr. 24, morning at 9:00 a.m.
