The New Orleans Privateers women’s beach volleyball team will begin their campaign in the Southland Tournament on Friday morning, April 21, when they face the fourth-seeded Houston Christian University Huskies. The match is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start.
This matchup holds significance as both teams have a recent history of close contests, including a narrow 3-2 win by HCU during the regular season at the Southland Mid-Conference event. In that match, Cassie and Ellie Sieling secured a victory for New Orleans at flight one, while Mona Salgado and Kylie Lyons added another win at flight four. Two additional matches went to three sets but ended in favor of HCU with scores of 16-14 and 15-11.
Earlier this week, Cassie and Ellie Sieling were named to the Southland All-Conference team following an impressive season where they posted an overall record of 18-10 and went 5-1 in designated conference matches. Their performance included a notable victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s pair that was named Southland Pair of the Year.
Brooke Dow and Ashley Salazar also contributed strongly throughout the season, compiling a record of 14-11 while playing primarily at flight two. They finished with a balanced conference record of three wins and three losses during regular play.
Since 2020, New Orleans and HCU have met five times in the Southland Tournament, with HCU winning three encounters. The most recent postseason meeting came in 2024 when HCU edged out New Orleans by another close scoreline of 3-2.
Looking ahead to Friday’s contest, both teams aim to advance further into tournament play after competitive seasons.
