University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Sweep Day One at Cowgirl Roundup
8/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Friday, Aug. 30, 2002
LAKE CHARLES – Louisiana-Lafayette opened the 2002 volleyball season here Friday at the McNeese State Cowgirl Roundup Invitational with a pair of victories over Jackson State and Southern Mississippi.
The Cajuns (2-0) defeated JSU in game one behind the duo of sophomore Stacey Cole and senior Priscilla Lima, who together combined for 32 of Louisiana-Lafayette's 49 team kills in the 3-0 (30-21, 30-22, 30-9) win over the Tigers.
The win came in the first match for new Ragin' Cajuns head coach Becky Madden and kicked off the 2002-03 UL Lafayette athletics season.
Cole had a team-best 18 kills while Lima chipped in with 14 kills of her own to pace the Cajuns offense. Senior and 2002 preseason All-Sun Belt pick Clarice Laires led the Cajuns defensively with a match-high nine digs while adding six kills.
Louisiana-Lafayette had three players with a hitting percentage over .400 and improved their hitting percentage as a team as each game of the match progressed. sophomore Stacy Liverett had a team-high .600 hitting percentage.
Lafayette native and junior Beth Henson, starting at setter for the first time since her freshman season, recorded 30 assists and four digs while adding three kills. Last season's starting setter Connie Byrnes, limited to action due to a minor shoulder injury, played one game and notched 14 assists.
For the match, Louisiana-Lafayette boasted a hitting percentage of .337 compared to JSU's .049. The Cajuns had 49 kills and 35 digs to the Tigers 21 kills and 27 digs. Madden was pleased with the team's overall play and the fact that she was able to work everyone into the match.
In the second match, Louisiana-Lafayette bounced back from a 2-0 deficit to claim a hard fought 3-2 (29-31, 20-30, 30-23, 30-25, 15-13) victory.
Cole led the Cajuns in kills for the second straight match, recording 16 to go along with 16 digs. Lima and freshman Lesley Tough each recorded 12 kills for the match and were helped offensively by Henson, who added 37 assists in the match to combine for 67 assists for the day.
Louisiana-Lafayette opens the season 2-0 for the first time since Sept. 1, 1995.
The Cajuns will conclude round robin play Saturday with matches against Prairie View at 1 p.m. and McNeese State at 5 p.m.
MATCH SUMMARIES
McNeese Cowgirl Roundup Invitational at Lake Charles, La.
(Memorial Gymnasium)
UL Lafayette 3, Jackson State 0
1 2 3
Jackson State (0-2) 21 22 9
UL Lafayette (1-0) 30 30 30
JSU: Kills 21 (White 6, Jones, Watkins 5, Richardson 3); Digs 27
(Gant, Williams 7, Carline 4); Assists 18 (Carline 10, Gant 6).
UL Lafayette: Kills 49 (Cole 18, Lima 14, Laires 6); Digs 35 (Laires 9,
Lima 6, Cole 5); Assists 46 (Henson 30, Byrnes 14).
T: 1:05.
UL Lafayette 3, Southern Mississippi 2
1 2 3 4 5
UL Lafayette (2-0) 29 20 30 30 15
Southern Miss. (1-1) 31 30 23 25 13
UL Lafayette: Kills 57 (Cole 16, Lima, Tough 12); Digs 96 (Lima 23, Cole,
Laires 16); Assists 45 (Henson 37, Byrnes 6).
USM: Kills 53
(Bush 19, Files 14, Tribble 12); Digs 84 (Bush 19, Olsson 18, Tribble 17);
Assists 43 (Zane 40). T: 2:10.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
