NEW ORLEANS – The LSU New Orleans Privateers will play their final weekend of non-conference matches before diving into Southland play. The Privateers will host the Pelican Invitational from Thursday through Saturday at the Human Performance Center.
 
LSU New Orleans will face Idaho on Thursday (6:30 pm), Cal State Fullerton on Friday (6:30 pm) and Florida A&M on Saturday (2 pm). The weekend finishes with a Sunday trip to Tulane at 12 pm.
 
Friday's match will be preceded by the Privateers' annual Sip n' Serve event which takes place at The Cove. To purchase tickets, click here.
 
LSU New Orleans is coming off a weekend where they went 0-3 at the UWG Volleyball Classic. The weekend ended with a fierce four-set battle against Gardner-Webb where the Privateers fell just short in extra rallies in what was the deciding set at 26-24.
 
Armie Hall continues to rank among the top hitters in the Southland. Hall won all-tournament honors after going for 33 kills and 10 total blocks in three matches. Entering the weekend, Hall is fifth in the conference in kills per set.
 
As a team, the Privateers have allowed the second fewest blocks among anyone in the Southland at 1.4 blocks per set. Only East Texas A&M has been blocked at a lower rate, conceding 1.2 blocks per set.
 
Mia Lopez has bolstered her digs per set average to 4.37 after averaging over 5.5 digs per set last weekend in West Georgia. Lopez has 140 total digs and ranks sixth in the conference in that category.
 
The Privateers have never played Idaho or Cal State Fullerton in program history. This weekend marks the fourth ever meeting against Florida A&M. The Privateers are 1-2 in the all-time series. LSU New Orleans is 23-65 all-time against Tulane and the Green Wave have won the last 16 meetings.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Idaho (6-3) was picked to finish ninth in the 11-team Big Sky in the preseason. The Vandals went 2-1 last weekend with wins against Cal Baptist and North Dakota after they lost the opener to Sacred Heart. The Vandals are 17^th in the nation in total blocks and individually, Koen Makaula is 74^th in the country in blocks per set at 1.27.
 
Cal State Fullerton (4-5) went 2-1 in the Playa Bowls Invitational with victories against Bethune-Cookman and Charleston Southern before a loss to The Citadel. Italia Bernal leads the Big West and is 34^th in the nation in service aces per set at 0.50. Marisa Nakata leads Cal State Fullerton in points per set with 3.60.
 
Florida A&M (4-5) went 2-1 in their own tournament last weekend. The Rattlers defeated Louisiana and Hampton in five sets and lost to FIU in three sets. Florida A&M ranks in the top three in the SWAC in points, hitting percentage, service aces and kills per set. The Rattlers are the defending SWAC champions from 2025.
 
Tulane (6-2) went 2-1 at the South Alabama Invitational with their only loss coming to an SEC foe in Georgia. Avery Burks was named to the American Athletic Conference preseason team for a third consecutive year. This season, Burks has 64 kills through the Green Wave's first eight matches.
 
SEASON TICKETS
Tickets for all home matches are available here.
 
ABOUT LSU NEW ORLEANS
In July of 2026 the University of New Orleans rejoined the LSU system and rebranded to "LSU New Orleans" bringing together two powerful brands - the purple and gold of LSU with the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans. The transition marks a return to the LSU family for the University - a place it called home from 1958-2011. Athletic teams will remain the Privateers and continue to compete in the Southland Conference.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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