University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
VB Comes Home On Tuesday
9/6/2008 5:00:00 AM | Volleyball
LAFAYETTE - The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team swings back into action in their first home match of the 2008 season on Tuesday. They will take on visiting Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. in front of a home crowd.
UPDATE (9/8/08): Due to technical difficulties, web streaming will no longer be available for this match.
Coming off a 0-3 start in the Rice Tournament and three cancelled matches in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, the Cajuns are eager to bring home their first victory while on the home hardwood. Louisiana had not lost three straight matches to start the season since 1998, but that has only served as motivation to come out strong against SFA.
“We're really excited about playing at home,” head coach Heather Mazeitis said. “It's all about progress right now. I think if we had played this weekend we would have been at a significant disadvantage, but we have had some great practices instead. This team is so ready to win, and as we go through this nonconference schedule we are looking for little victories so that once we get into Sun Belt play we can go after the big victories.”
The Ragin' Cajuns have their work cut out against a tough SFA team, but are confident to take the court behind the stifling net defense crew of Elizabeth Inman, Amie Goodwin, Caroline Dufrene, and Tracie Knowlton. The quartet represents the top four blockers on the team, with seven, six, five and five blocks respectively. Along with Lesley Mirarchi (four), they have lifted the Cajuns to third place in blocking in the Sun Belt Conference, averaging 2.22 blocks per set. Inman stands tied at sixth in the conference for total blocks.
Stephen F. Austin's Ladyjacks are coming off a 27-8 season, in which they won the Southland Conference regular season title for the fourth consecutive year. 2008 has not been so kind, as the Ladyjacks bring an even 3-3 record to Lafayette, with losses to St. Louis, Miami (OH) and Montana.
“They are a very good team, always on the cusp of being in the top 25 [in the AVCA Div. I coaches poll],” said Mazeitis of Stephen F. Austin's team. “They are just very strong. What we have to do is make sure we pass well, run our middle effectively, and be prepared to dig everything they give us.”
