PHOTO GALLERY

LAKE CHARLES—McNeese volleyball rallied from a 2-0 deficit here Thursday night to win the next three sets in its 3-2 (23-25, 25-27, 29-27, 25-21, 15-8) Southland Conference opening win over Texas A&M-Commerce to improve to 5-10 overall and 1-0 in the SLC.
 
After dropping the first two sets, McNeese got things going in the third set and came away with the win to avoid the sweep. The Cowgirls carried that third set momentum into the fourth set where both the offense and the defense did its part in the fourth set win, sending it to a fifth set.
 
In the fifth set, McNeese jumped out to a 6-2 lead then increased the lead to 10-4 before relying on Nejra Hanic to score four of the Cowgirls' last five points to win the set and the match. McNeese put down 11 kills in 19 attempts with only three errors for a .421 hitting percent in the fifth set.  
 
Three Cowgirls recorded double figure kills with Kendall Glueck leading all players with 20 kills. Mikayla Christiansen also recorded a career high with 19 kills while Hanic ended the match with a season high 16 kills.
 
Setter Mia Perales ended the match with a double double by dishing out a career high 44 assists and picking up 13 digs.
 
Bailey Tillman was credited with 31 digs, one shy of tying her career high and Lizzy Low ended the match with 16 digs.
 
With the loss, A&M-Commerce falls to 3-11 overall and 0-1 in the SLC.
 
McNeese will remain home to face Northwestern State in a Southland Conference match this Saturday at the Legacy Center at 11 a.m. The match has been designated as Alumni Day with former players to be recognized between sets two and three.
 
Head Coach Sasha Karelov Quotes
 
On being down 2-0…
"I got in the huddle and tried to fire them up the best I could. We were playing flat and I was trying to remind them to be comfortable on our home court. I told them to feed into the great crowd that is here watching you play.
 
On the play of the Cowgirls' three defensive specialist (Bailey Tillman, Lizzy Low, Kendall Osgood)…
Those three have been very solid for us for the past four weeks and the first two sets, I didn't recognize them- they weren't playing how I know they can play. I talked to all three of them and tried to help them through that adversity and they turned their play around.
 
 
 
Set 1
• With the set tied at 19 apiece, A&M-Commerce scored three straight points to take a 22-19 lead.
• McNeese scored the next two point to pull to within one point on a Mikayla Christiansen kill
• The Lions would then outscore the Cowgirls 3-2 to take the first set 25-23
 
Set 2
• Another back and forth set all the way until the end in a set that consisted of 17 ties and nine lead changes.
• With the set tied at 25, a kill and a Cowgirl error gave the Lions the win and a 2-0 set lead.
 
Set 3
• McNeese extended the match with the 29-27 win.
• McNeese held a 20-17 lead but five straight points by A&M Commerce gave them a 22-20 lead.
• McNeese trailed 23-21 but scored three straight points of their own to lead 24-23 but the Lions would retake the lead 27-26.
• Kills by Sanni Rantanen and McKenzie Moore gave the Cowgirls a 28-27 lead then a setting error by A&M-Commerce was the deciding point in the Cowgirls 29-27 win.
 
Set 4
• McNeese fought back from a 14-9 deficit and took a 15-14 lead on a Kendall Glueck and five straight points behind the serve of Lizzy Low.
• The Lions tied the set at 15 then three more points by McNeese put them up 18-15.
• With the Cowgirls leading 22-20, McNeese took advantage of three Lion errors to win the set, sending the match to the fifth and deciding set.
 
Set 5
• McNeese took the early momentum by jumping out to a 6-2 lead before extending it to a 10-4 lead.
• It was all Nejra Hanic at the end as she scored four of the last five Cowgirl points with kills along with an ace by Bailey Tillman.