Volleyball Travels to Lamar For Battle of Two Red-Hot Teams

Contact: Matt Hebert

Louisiana Season Stats | Lamar Season Stats

LAFAYETTE – The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team travels to Beaumont, Texas, on Tuesday to face Lamar seeking to extend its current four-match winning streak.

First serve at McDonald Gym on the LU campus is set for 7 p.m.

Louisiana (4-2) captured the championship of the Bon Temps Invitational at Earl K. Long Gym over the weekend posting victories over Houston Baptist, McNeese State and Southern Miss.

UL's win streak dates back to a sweep of Texas Southern on the final day of the Sam Houston Invitational (Aug. 25).

During the win streak the squad's offense has been ran efficiently. UL has posted a team hitting percentage above .200 each of the four matches during the win streak. In the final two matches of the Bon Temps Invitational, the Cajuns hit .363 and .318 against McNeese and USM, respectively.

Preseason All-Sun Belt selection Mandi Gavin picked up MVP honors in the Bon Temps Invitational for her impact in all phases of the game. The senior setter excelled in her normal area, dishing out 11.60 assists per set (116 total over 10 sets) and ending each match during the tournament over 10 assists per set. Attacking from the front row, Gavin managed to throw down 23 kills on just 42 attempts and committed only two attack errors (.500 hitting percentage).

The Cajuns are beginning to reap the benefits of the new “6-2” look on offense which keeps Gavin and Andrea Hole (pronounced who-lah) out on the court at all times. Hole shined during the Bon Temps Invitational, opening play with a career-high 18 kills vs. HBU and ending the tournament with 36 kills over 10 sets (3.6 kills/set).

Through two weekends of play the Cajuns are the second-most efficient offense in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana's attack percentage through six matches and 21 sets is .234 (288 kills, 103 errors, 790 attempts). Blair Claypoole (.366) and Gavin (.329) lead the charge.

The Cajuns lineup features a balanced attack, with six different players averaging 1.7 kills per set or more. Lavinia Tataran (2.90 kills/set) and Hole (2.86 kills per set) top the squad in kills.

Defensively, sophomore libero Caitlyn Auxilien is quietly climbing her way to the top of the charts in digs in the Sun Belt Confernece. Auxilien has accumulated 102 digs over the season's first 21 sets (4.86 digs/set) which ranks her fourth in the SBC.

Lamar comes into the match “red-hot” as well. The Cardinals (5-4) have won four of their last five matches – all coming last week.

The Cardinals went 3-1 in their home tournament last weekend which included a five-set victory over Conference USA-member Tulane.

Wendy Krell was instrumental in the Cardinals success and was named this week's Southland Conference Player of the Week. On Saturday, Krell racked up 19 kills at a .368 rate to go along with three blocks and an ace in a five-set victory over Tulane. She finished the week hitting .346 with 53 kills, 14 blocks and four aces.

Tuesday's meeting marks the 48^th meeting all-time between the two schools.

Last season, Louisiana posted a 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23) win at Earl K. Long Gym. Claypoole led Louisiana with a match-and season-high 14 kills. She was supported in double figures by Lesley Mirarchi (10 kills) and Tonice White (10 kills).

In the last meeting in Beaumont, the Cardinals captured a 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 19-25, 14-25) victory on Sept. 18, 2010 in a match that was part of the Lamar Invitational.

The Cajuns will attempt to halt a three-match losing streak at McDonald Gym. UL's last victory on Lamar's home floor came in 1999 under the direction of Chris Campbell – which is the only Cajuns victory in Beaumont in 18 previous attempts.

After Tuesday's trip to Lamar, the Cajuns travel to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend to participate in the University of Florida's Active Ankle Challenge. UL is set to face Georgia Tech, Florida and Jacksonville.

SET POINTS: Louisiana won its home tournament for the third straight season and improved to 8-0 in home tournaments in the Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot era…Head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot picked up her 50th win as Cajuns head coach with the win over Houston Baptist on Friday...Mazeitis-Fontenot now has 52 wins at UL, the fourth-highest total in program history…Louisiana has now won 21 of the past 28 matches contested at Earl K. Long Gym, a streak that dates back to 2010...Andrea Hole continues her breakout campaign, ranking second on the squad with 60 kills (2.86 per set) through the first two weekends...Hole dominated on Friday in the Bon Temps Invitational, tallying 28 kills over seven sets which included a career-high 18 kills vs. Houston Baptist...Tonice White had a hand in 13 of Louisiana's 19 blocks over the weekend, her entire total coming in the Cajuns two matches on Friday...Mandi Gavin entered the season needing 816 assists to reach 3,000 and become only the fourth player in program history to accomplish the feat...Through the season's first six matches, Gavin has dished out 210 assists to lower her total needed to 606 with 26 regular season matches remaining.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Volleyball Travels to Lamar For Battle of Two Red-Hot Teams

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