LAKE CHARLES- Tuesday night's 6:30 p.m. McNeese volleyball match against Houston will be a special night for the Cowgirls in it will not only be the 2019 home opener but it will mark the first official volleyball match to be played in the new H&HP Complex.  Live streaming and live stats will be available.
 
Free pizza and t-shirts will be available for McNeese students with a valid ID while supplies last.

"We are really excited to open our home schedule in the H&HP Complex," said head coach Ashleigh Fitzgerald. "We've played spring matches and our intrasquad in it, but putting on the jersey and playing someone else is a different deal. We are thrilled to play a household name like Houston in our home opener. As a team, we want to continue to improve and develop chemistry."
 
McNeese (2-1) is coming off its season opening weekend that saw the Cowgirls open up the Robert Morris Hilton Invitational with a 3-2 win over Elon and a 3-1 win over Manhattan before falling 3-1 to Robert Morris.
 
Junior transfer Regan Stiawalt and Keegan Nelms led McNeese with 41 and 37 kills apiece. Nelms ended the weekend with three double doubles.
 
Head coach Ashleigh Fitzgerald used 12 players over the weekend trying to find the right combination to match the opponents.
 
Kendall Kilchrist, Caitlin Sharrock and Callie Craus split time at the setter position. Kilchrist ended the weekend averaging 4.31 asp., Sharrock averaged 4.50, and Craus averaged 5.50 per set.
 
At the net, Allison Lippert, Kendall Glueck and Ajani Hodges paced McNeese. Lippert picked up a total of 16 blocks, Glueck had 15 and Hodges was credited with 10.
 
Angela McGownd led the Cowgirls with 63 digs while Nelms totaled 42 and Stiawalt added 23.
 
Houston (0-4) heads into the match looking for its first win of the season after falling to Arizona State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UT-Arlington and LSU in its own Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup over the weekend.
 
McNeese has won the last two matches against the Cougars, both wins coming in 2017, one at the UT-Arlington Maverick Classic with the last one coming in a five setter in Houston to take home the 2017 Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup.
 
Following Tuesday's match, McNeese will travel to UL-Lafayette for the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Volleyball Classic Friday and Saturday.