RUSTON – Louisiana Tech begins its 13th season in Conference USA this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for a pair of road matches against the Liberty Lady Flames.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Dates/Times: Friday, Sept. 26 (5 p.m. CT) | Saturday, Sept. 27 (Noon CT)
Location: Liberty Arena (Lynchburg, Va.)
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (7-7)
LA Tech closed out non-conference play with a 3-0 sweep against crosstown foe Gram­bling State. The big storyline in that match was the Bulldogs second-set rally, down 20- 24 before reeling off six straight points to take it 26-24. Outside hitter Grace Luevanos was the star for LA Tech, recording her second double-double of the season with 11 kills (.304 hitting percentage) and 11 digs.
 
Outside hitter Jailen Hurley totaled a team-high 19 kills in the Texan Classic this past weekend. The senior, who recently eclipsed 500 career kills, has led the Bulldogs in that category five times this season. She has a team-best .280 hitting percentage.
 
Two mainstays in the starting lineup this season have been two freshman -- setter Sydnee Carter and middle blocker Zari Gillispie. Carter was recently named to the Texan Classic All-Tournament Team after totaling 37 assists. She is the lone Bulldog to start every match this season, having amassed 218 assists. Gillispie has started in 10 matches and owns a .278 hitting percentage (61 kills) and 31.0 blocks (second most on the team).
 
Libero/defensive specialist Riley Steubing continues to be a steady presence on defense, tallying double-digit digs in 10 of the last 12 matches since taking over the po­sition. The junior registered 20+ digs in all three matches in the Bulldog Bash, becoming just the second Bulldog in the last 15 years to have three straight games of 20+ digs. She currently ranks second in CUSA and 24th in the nation in total digs (218) with an average of 4.19 per set. She also recently eclipsed 500 career digs as a Bulldog.
 
ABOUT LIBERTY (12-1)
Liberty, who is currently riding an eight-match winning streak, owns the best record in CUSA, having won 12 of its 13 matches.  The Lady Flames have claimed three non-conference tournaments, going undefeated in the Buffalo Invitational, the Tribe Invitational, and most recently a sweep at the Cougar Challenge with victories over McNeese, Houston, and North Alabama.
 
LU has been steady in pressure moments, going 6-0 in five-set matches.  A Liberty player has won the CUSA Offensive Player of the Week award each of the first four weeks of the season with Paige Overcash taking home three of those.  The outside hitter ranks third in the league and 27th in the nation in total kills with 181. 
 
Liberty ranks top 20 in the country in team assists (656), team kills (716), and team service aces (19). 
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech is 1-4 all-time versus Liberty, winning the initial meeting 3-0 back in 2004 in the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational in Austin, Texas. However, the Lady Flames have won all four matchups the last two years as CUSA foes, winning 12 of the 13 sets.
 
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