University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Face Top Competition at Tiger Classic
9/3/2009 10:45:00 PM | Volleyball
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team will take in its second tournament of the 2009 season this weekend in Baton Rouge at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Louisiana (3-2) is participating in the LSU Tiger Classic Friday-Saturday, Sept. 4-5 against top-flight competition.
The Ragin' Cajuns will face No. 6 Nebraska at 11 a.m., on Friday to start tournament play. The Huskers, a perennial volleyball powerhouse, have been to the NCAA Tournament the past 26 years and have made 10 Final Four appearances. It's arguably the highest profile program Louisiana has ever faced.
UL will also meet in-state foes Tulane (0-0) and LSU (2-1), both receiving votes in the AVCA Division I Top 25 poll.
The Ragin' Cajuns enter the weekend coming off back-to-back losses to Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin. The most recent, was a 3-0 (24-26, 20-25, 21-25) set back at SFA on Wednesday.
The Cajuns offense is powered by the trio of junior Amie Goodwin (2.69 kills per set) and the freshman tandem of Ariel Krolikowski (3.24 kills per set) and Bethany Fogler (2.53 kills per set). Goodwin is coming off a season-high 15 kills at SFA while Krolikowski has reached double figures four times already.
The challenge for UL is to find other players to step up and support the aforementioned trio. Krolikowski, Goodwin and Fogler have reached at least 40 kills, but the next closest is Lesley Mirarchi's 20.
Libero Lindsay Brown continues to shine on defense for the Ragin' Cajuns. At SFA, Brown logged 21 digs over three sets for an average of 7.00 per set. She leads the Sun Belt Conference in digs with a 5.35 per set average. At her current pace she might challenge the school's single-season digs mark of 599 set by Jennifer Autry in 1990.
The Cornhuskers are 2-1 on the season and are coming off a three-set sweep of Creighton Tuesday night. Middle blocker Jordan Wilberger pounded a career-high 10 kills on .467 hitting, while All-American Tara Mueller had a match-high 13 kills on .333 hitting and eight digs.
Mueller leads the Cornhuskers in kills with 35 over 11 sets. Kayla Banwarth is tops in digs with 53 over 11 sets.
Five players made their Husker debuts last weekend, including outside hitters Gina Mancuso and Hannah Werth, setter Jessica Yanz, middle blocker Allison McNeal and defensive specialist Megan Pendergast.
Friday's meeting will mark the Cajuns first match against Nebraska in program history.
Tulane has yet to play this season. The Green Wave were originally slated to open the year last weekend at Creighton's Bluejay Invitational, but had to back out of the tournament as several members of the team suffered from flu-like symptoms.
The match with the Cajuns will serve as the Green Wave's season opener. The Green Wave return seven letterwinners - including three starters - from last year's team which won the 2008 Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Louisiana and LSU do battle for the first time since 2002 when the two squads faced off at the Florida State Invitational. UL's last meeting with the Tigers in the PMAC took place Sept. 18, 2001.
LSU turned in a 2-1 weekend at the Shamrock Invitational last weekend at Notre Dame. The Tigers knocked off Denver and host-Notre Dame after going the distance with 2008 National Runner-Up and No. 5 Stanford.
Key offensive players for LSU are Michele Williams and Brittnee Cooper, who each threw down 37 kills in 13 sets at Notre Dame.
Single-match tickets can be purchased at the LSU ticket office or by calling (225) 578-2184 or (800) 960-8587. Ticket prices are $5 adult; $3 youth (12 and under).
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
