LSC Crossover Tournament Preview
 
On Thursday, roughly half the St. Edward's volleyball team will get its first look at Lone Star Conference volleyball when the Hilltoppers play Western New Mexico in Portales, New Mexico, to open the LSC Crossover Tournament. 
 
The Hilltoppers have received a crash course in team chemistry, playing four road matches in 34 hours in each of the past two weeks. 
 
St. Edward's Head Volleyball Coach Jared Te'o has used that time to experiment with lineups, throwing different combinations on the court while utilizing his entire roster, giving opportunities while observing who and what works best in live matches. 
 
"We've been able to play a lot of different people. We've played everyone. Our group is getting better each match, and we're starting to see the starting lineup materialize," Te'o says. "We have a lot of good pieces, and I have a lot of confidence in the team. We're pretty young with a lot of newcomers, so it's going to take time. I saw a lot of good things against Seattle Pacific, so hopefully we can build on that." 
 
A trio of newcomers leads St. Edward's attack. Freshman KELLI FORDING leads the way in volume with 69 kills, averaging 2.88 per set. ADDY BADLEY, a redshirt sophomore transfer, has been the most efficient, with a second-best 57 kills on a .301 clip. LANDRY BAUGHMAN splits the difference with 50 kills on a .186 hitting percentage. The Hilltoppers have also gotten some production at the net by freshman middle blocker CORA YOUNG, who leads the team with 16 blocks, totaling eight solo and eight block assists. 
 
Each has shown moments of brilliance. The next step is building consistency across matches. 
 
"It's about getting the newcomers acclimated to the returners who are playing. We've used many combinations of lineups with people who haven't played with each other, and it's only been three weeks," Te'o explains. "KELLI FORDING and LANDRY BAUGHMAN have had some big matches, and Cora has been pretty steady. Now, it's about getting them to sustain high-level play." 
 
With a weekend of competition against conference opponents as a preview for conference play, the Hilltoppers will start narrowing down its lineups.
 
"Now that we've had eight matches to mix things up, we're going to start getting into who we think the starters are," Te'o says. "There will still be some opportunities for others to play, but this weekend will be about getting the core group acclimated with each other before conference starts." 
 
Weekend Matches
 
Western New Mexico University (2-6)
St. Edward's and Western New Mexico are 6-6 in matches going back to 1993, with the Hilltoppers claiming the last three in three-set sweeps. Both teams are under the direction of a new head coach, with the Mustangs hiring Geno Frugoli last December. 
 
The Mustangs' attack is led by Jazymne Walker, who leads the team in kills (67) and hitting percentage (.192). Walker is set by Leticia Correa, who's sixth in the conference with 7.48 assists per set. Lilouann Becheck leads the team in digs at 4.23 per set. 
 
Cameron University (2-6)
St. Edward's leads the series 10-9 going back to 1987. The Hilltoppers have won four of the last five matches, including three in a row. The Aggies are also under a new head coach, having hired Nathan Martell last January. 
 
The Aggies are led by a two-pronged attack, with Caitlyn Henderson and Jacee Stetler posting 67 and 66 kills. Henderson leads the way with a .342 hitting percentage. Meagan Jimenez is fourth in the conference with 14 service aces and averages 5.10 digs per set. 
 
Eastern New Mexico University (4-4)
St. Edward's is 10-5 against ENMU since 1996 but lost both matches last year, ending a three-game winning streak against the Greyhounds. 
 
Host team Eastern New Mexico returns all-conference second-team selections Mikaela Garvin and Gracelyn Stubbs. Garvin leads the team with 93 kills on a .305 clip, and Stubbs is second with 76 on a .301 hitting percentage. The duo have also combined for 57 blocks. 
 
Midwestern State University (2-6)
St. Edward's is 12-5 against Midwestern State since 1987, though the Hilltoppers lost last year's match in five sets. The two teams will play back-to-back, ending the LSC Crossover Tournament on Saturday and opening conference play in Austin the following weekend. 
 
Riley Rabedeaux is the Mustangs' primary attacker, leading the team with 82 kills on a .213 hitting percentage. The total is nearly double the next Mustang, Jaiden Wright, who had 46 kills. Wright also has 17 blocks. Taygon Jones has 121 digs, averaging a team-high 4.65 per set.
 
"Last year, we had some upsets against a few good teams but lost to teams ranked below us," Te'o says. "Being 1-7, we have a lot to prove, and I'm hoping the team comes in focused and ready to work from the first point on because our conference is tough from top to bottom."