BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar Cardinals used a 42-24 advantage in the kill department and late surges in the second and third set to defeat the LSU New Orleans Privateers 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-20) on Thursday night at McDonald Gym.
An evenly played match early saw the Cardinals get their first bit of separation through back-to-back service aces from Madelynn Coy which helped Lamar extend to a 14-7 lead in the opening set.
The Privateers scored three straight points to force a Lamar timeout late in the set as they narrowed the gap to four but Lamar responded with three points out of the break. Coy finished off the set with her fourth ace.
Set two was tight throughout the early portion, but the Cardinals had a critical three-point stretch on their side to extend to a 19-15 lead. After just keeping a ball up on a diving dig, Lamar scored off a Privateer attack error, which brought about an LSU New Orleans timeout.
The Cardinals pulled clear late behind a pair of tandem blocks by Nissan Martinez and Riley Johnson. They finished the set on a 9-4 surge to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Another tight set was playing out in the third when the Privateers and Cardinals battled to a 14-14 tie. The score was level on five different occasions at that point in the set. That's when the Cardinals used a 6-1 spurt to pull ahead on the scoreboard.
Lamar got to set point leading 24-17, but LSU New Orleans fought them until the end. The Privateers saved the first three chances at match point through a kill and a block assist by
Elani Ratchkovska. However, Lamar closed the night in their favor when after a timeout, the Privateers committed an attack error.
Maja Malinowska had 16 kills to lead the Lamar attack and hit .371 on the night. Martinez and Grace Hill each had eight kills. Kinley Elms had seven kills and Gabby Baker led the team in digs with 11.
INSIDE THE BOX
Ratchkovska had eight kills to lead the Privateer offense on the night.
Armie Hall added seven kills. LSU New Orleans also had seven total blocks on the match.
Nyakuak Lual compiled the most total rejections with four.
Mia Lopez matched a career high with 21 digs, a mark she previously accomplished against Gardner-Webb.
NEXT UP
The Privateers head to Nacogdoches to face Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.
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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.
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