Easy Sweep of McNeese Highlights 2-0 Day in Bon Temps Invite

Contact: Matt Hebert

UL vs. HBU Box Score (HTML) | UL vs. HBU Box Score (PDF)
UL vs. MCN Box Score (HTML) | UL vs. MCN Box Score (PDF)

PHOTO GALLERY (vs. HBU)

LAFAYETTE – Powered by five attackers with eight kills or more and a sizzling .363 hitting percentage the Ragin' Cajuns volleyball swept McNeese State in straight sets Friday evening to complete a 2-0 day at Earl K. Long Gym in the 2012 Bon Temps Invitational.

Louisiana (3-2) extended its current winning streak to three matches and won for the 20^th time in the past 27 outings at Earl K. Long Gym dating back to 2010.

The Cajuns dominated the Cowgirls (1-4) winning by set scores of 25-17, 25-16, 25-12 and held a decisive 49-26 advantage in kills.

Louisiana never trailed in the match and McNeese was able to forge a tie just three times.

Earlier in the day, UL started Bon Temps Invite play with a 3-1 (25-20, 28-30, 25-11, 25-21) victory over Houston Baptist behind a career-high 18 kills and 21 points from Andrea Hole (pronounced who-lah) and a triple double from Mandi Gavin (10 kills, 45 assists, 11 digs).

The Cajuns conclude play in the Bon Temps Invite on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., facing Southern Miss. Louisiana will be playing for a perfect weekend and tournament championship when they face the Golden Eagles.

Hole topped the Cajuns in the McNeese match with 10 kills. Backing her up with nine kills apiece was the trio of Lavinia Tataran, Tonice White and Kelly Wiesmann. Senior captain Blair Claypoole needed only 10 attempts to register her eight kills.

Hole's performances marked her second and third double figure kills outings of the young season. The Oslo, Norway, native ended the day with 28 kills against eight errors over 63 attempts (.317 percentage) and averaged 4.00 kills per set.

The Cajuns hitting percentage after the first set was .270, and the percentage never dropped below that mark the remainder of the night.

The Cowgirls struggled against the Cajuns defense, hitting .094, and never saw their sideout percentage climb over 50 percent in any of the three sets.

UL broke free in the opening set, when leading 14-11, as kills from Gavin and Wiesmann followed by an Amber Fryer attack error and Tataran ace built an 18-11 edge for the Cajuns.

After MSU cut the deficit to 20-17, Tatran broke the Cowgirls' serve, and then Gavin served up the final four points.

The second and third sets were a breeze for the Cajuns.

UL opened the second set with an 8-3 run keyed by four kills, an ace and a block. The lead was as large as eight points, and the Cowgirls got no closer than four points, 16-12, following a Tataran attack error. Three consecutive points allowed UL to reopen a comfortable margin.

In the final set, the Cajuns scored the first four points and never looked back. Leading 18-11, Louisiana scored on seven of the final eight rallies to complete the sweep.

LOUISIANA VS. HOUSTON BAPTIST

Fueled by a career-high 18 kills from Norwegian product Andrea Hole (pronounced who-lah) the Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team produced a 3-1 (25-20, 28-30, 25-11, 25-21) victory over Houston Baptist in the tournament opener.

The Cajuns' motto entering the season has been “leave no doubt” and that's exactly what happened in the third set with HBU. After the Huskies rallied to sneak out a 30-28 victory in the second set and even the match, the Cajuns (2-2) stormed out to an 11-1 lead in the fourth set on the way to reclaiming an advantage in the match.

HBU hung in with UL in the fourth set, netting a 20-all tie with a Cati Wenger kill. Lavinia Tatran registered a kill on the ensuing to break the tie.

After the Huskies trimmed the Cajuns lead to 22-21, the hosts rolled off three straight points to avoid a fifth set. Mandi Gavin threw down a kill off a Caitlyn Auxilien dig, then two rallies later Gavin and Tonice White threw up a block to secure match point.

Louisiana finished the match with an efficient .272 hitting percentage (63 kills, 19 errors, 162 attempts) and had three other players join Hole in double figure kills – Tataran (13), White (11) and Gavin (10). UL held a 63-46 edge in kills over HBU.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Easy Sweep of McNeese Highlights 2-0 Day in Bon Temps Invite

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Team Stats

Andrea Hole

Lavinia Tataran

Tonice White

Mandi Gavin

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