University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
5-3
New Mexico State
5-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Louisiana | 13 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
Cajuns Drop Two at CenturyLink Premier
9/10/2011 2:52:00 AM | Volleyball
The Ragin' Cajuns (5-4) fell victim to a pair of lengthy scoring runs by New Mexico State in the first two sets, then the Aggies never relinquished the lead in the third set to complete the 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-16) triumph.
NMSU hit .247 for the match and netted 70 percent on sideouts while UL was limited to a season-low -.010 hitting percentage.
In the nightcap, Louisiana took the opening set from Texas State and was two points away from a 2-0 lead before the Bobcats rallied with four unanswered points to pull even. TSU then led from start-to-finish in the final two sets to claim a 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22) victory.
In a tightly contested match the Cajuns held a 51-48 advantage in kills and the two teams combined for 154 digs. The Bobcats used a .216 hitting percentage to outlast the Cajuns.
Louisiana concludes play in the CenturyLink Premier on Saturday with matches against Houston Baptist at Noon and Northwestern State at 4 p.m. Live coverage is available at www.txstatebobcats.com.
Louisiana vs. New Mexico State
Tonice White led the Ragin' Cajuns in the opener against NMSU with a .400 hitting percentage (5 kills, 1 error, 10 attempts), but the remainder of the Cajuns' quartet that came in averaging over two kills per set was held to a negative hitting percentage.
Meredith Hays paced the Aggies (5-2) with a match-high 13 kills.
Louisiana rolled out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, benefiting from a Mandi Gavin service ace and a pair of Blair Claypoole kills during the run. NMSU answered back with a 6-0 run to take the lead.
The Cajuns closed within one point, 14-13, on a Claypoole block solo. A Gavin service error returned the serve to the Aggies who then proceeded to score 10 unanswered points off the serve of Kelsi Phillips. UL committed four attack errors and two reception errors during the scoring spree.
UL grabbed a lead twice in the second set, only to fall victim to a similar ending. NMSU broke a 16-all tie with a Hays kill and followed up with eight straight points off the serve of Jene Coppedge for a 25-16 win that opened a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Aggies doubled up the Cajuns in kills (14-7) in the third set to complete the sweep.
Friday's match marked the first meeting between the Cajuns and Aggies since 2004 when the two programs were Sun Belt Conference foes.
Louisiana vs. Texas State
Tonice White turned in another solid performance for the Cajuns, leading the team with 12 kills. In addition to collecting 37 assists, setter Mandi Gavin threw down nine kills.
UL totaled double figures in kills each set on the way to 51 kills - the second-highest total of the season. After a negative hitting percentage against New Mexico State in the tournament opener, the Cajuns brought the percentage up to .124 against Texas State.
Taylor Meade posted 17 digs to lead a trio of Cajuns in double figures. The team's 75 digs marked a season-high for a four-set match.
The Bobcats (6-4) were led offensively by Amari Deardoff's 18 kills and .425 hitting percentage.
Louisiana raced out to a 10-5 lead in the opening set and withstood a late rally by TSU. Tied at 18-all, four consecutive kills - off the hands of Lesley Mirarchi, Kerrilyn Lazare, Blair Claypoole and Lavinia Tataran in succession - sent the Cajuns on their way to a 25-22 victory.
The Cajuns took charge early in the second set increasing a 3-1 lead to 8-1 with three straight kills and a pair of Andrea Hole service aces. UL held onto that lead until the end when TSU erased a 23-21 deficit by beginning a 4-0 run with a block thrown up Deardoff and Amber Calhoun.
The Bobcats rode the momentum shift to victories in the third and fourth sets to claim the match. The Cajuns hit .071 and .022 during the decisive sets, committing 18 attack errors.
Louisiana and Texas State met on the court for the first time since 1991.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
