After a tough weekend against SBU, the Lions volleyball team is gearing up for the eventful weekend ahead. 

Last Friday the Lions faced the SBU Bearcats, taking the match to five sets. The first, and third sets were won by the opposing Bearcats, and second set along with the fourth set belonged to the Lions.

After losing to the Lions in the fourth set 25-18, and with a cap of 15 points, the Bearcats came back to take the fifth and final set 15-5.

Junior libero Dani Severns described the upset as, “a really good game were we all fought hard and played well. We are great at catching up to a team along with catching them off guard when we are down, but ultimately we as a team need to get better at pushing ourselves when we do have the lead in order to finish those games as a victory.”

Tuesday was the second of the eight straight games at home as the Lions faced the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos.

The Lions fell to the Bronchos in three straight sets by scores of 22-25, 25-11, and 25,19.  Southern was led by play from sophomore setter Abby Finder who had seven kills, 25 assists, two aces, four digs and three blocks.

Today the Lions face Missouri Western State University Griffons in an MIAA contest at 7 p.m. Last year the Lions defeated the Griffons in aces per match with 10-8, but lost both matches.

“I think that we all are improving each game we play. We keep fighting each match which proves that,” said junior Katie Politte.  “Nobody can be successful with another person in this sport.”

Following tonight’s game, the Lions will host alumni weekend, playing at noon tomorrow against Lindenwood University. Lindenwood has been a good competitor against the Lions over the years, winning last season’s two matches in three straight sets each.

This year, Lindenwood is 0-2 while playing away, which brings great hope for the Lions weekend. 

Politte said, “We are planning on taking both games because we are going to work on minimizing our unforced errors. When we lose, it’s not that the other teams are beating us, but it is us beating ourselves.”

As Servens put it, “We have an opportunity this weekend with the home field advantage, which is a great time for us to build momentum and get more wins under our belts.