Louisiana Breaks Up Road Swing With Home Match vs. Southern

Contact: Matt Hebert

UL Volleyball Weekly Update | Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot Media Luncheon Video

LAFAYETTE – The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team makes a stop at historic Earl K. Long Gym on Tuesday for a meeting with Southern before traveling to Memphis, Tenn., for the Tiger Invitational on the University of Memphis campus.

The Cajuns (4-6) and Jaguars (0-8) are set to get underway at 7 p.m.

Entering Tuesday's contest with Southern, the Ragin' Cajuns have won 21 of the past 28 matches contested at Earl K. Long Gym, a streak that dates back to 2010.

Louisiana presently owns a four-match win streak at EKL – dates back to 2011 season finale win over UALR – and has won 12 of the 14 sets contested during the streak

“This is going to be a good match, they (Southern) are always a dynamic squad,” head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot said at Monday's media luncheon. “And looking ahead to Memphis, we are going to face quality teams such as Belmont who went to the NCAA Tournament last season and Memphis which always has a good squad.”

UL seeks to rebound from a 0-4 week which saw the squad fall in a midweek match at Lamar and then go 0-3 at the Active Ankle Challenge in Gainesville, Fla.

Despite a 0-3 showing at the Active Ankle Challenge, the Cajuns pushed Georgia Tech in the second and third set and claimed a set victory over No. 15 Florida.

“Against Florida and Georgia Tech we played inspired at certain points and that tells me that we are doing fabulous things,” Mazeitis-Fontenot commented. “To hand Florida their first loss in a set on their home court was exciting, but to lose to Jacksonville sort of ruined that excitement.

“However, we took plenty of positives away from the experience in Gainesville,” Mazeitis-Fontenot added. “It showed our team what they're capable of, and when we put all phases of the game together it's extremely special. Maybe it's going to take us this long to get everything in place in time for conference play which starts next weekend.”

Louisiana is led by the senior duo of Blair Claypoole and Mandi Gavin. Claypoole has stepped up to provide efficient offensive production from the middle blocker position and Gavin continues to be a “do it all” player setting the offense, contributing offensively and stepping up defensively on the block.

Claypoole was named to the all-tournament team at the University of Florida's Active Ankle Challenge, ending the event with a team-best 41 kills over 12 sets (3.42 kill/sets). She hit .378 for the two-day event, committing only seven errors through 90 swings.

Claypoole's big day came on Saturday where she started the day tying for match-high honors with 13 kills (on 27 attempts) against No. 15 Florida and wrapped up the Gainesville trip with a career-high 21 kills vs. Jacksonville.

“Very proud of Blair,” Mazeitis-Fontenot said. “The consistency of her play thus far is phenomenal and it has resulted in all-tournament honors the last two weekends.

“She's averaging 13-15 kills per match, which is a lot for a middle. She's chosen to shoulder the burden of this group and is doing an outstanding job. She has a really good connection with Mandi (Cajuns setter) and in her words is 'just having fun right now'.”

Gavin continues her march toward becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach 3,000 career assists. She has accumulated 348 through 10 matches this season to lower her total needed to reach the 3,000-plateau to 468.

UL continues to run a well-balanced offense paced by the set of Gavin. Five different players are averaging 1.86 kills per set or more led by Lavinia Tataran (2.57 kps) and Claypoole (2.49 kps). Claypoole tops the squad with a season hitting percentage of .348 which ranks as the fourth-best mark in the Sun Belt Conference.

Libero Caitlyn Auxilien has scooped up double figures in digs in eight consecutive matches and nine of 10 overall this season. The Mandeville, La., native has picked up 165 digs through 37 sets, an average of 4.46 digs per set, and is well on her way to challenging the Cajuns Top 5 list for digs in a single season during the rally era (fifth-highest total in rally era is 405 by Lindsay Brown in 2008).

The Cajuns are positioning themselves for a solid showing in the Sun Belt Conference this season. Louisiana entered the week as one of only five teams in the league with a team hitting percentage above .200 and one of only five to hold the opposition below .200 in hitting percentage.

Southern comes to Earl K. Long Gym winless through eight matches in 2012. The Jaguars have yet to win a set, bringing a string of 24 consecutive set defeats into the match with the Cajuns.

UL leads the all-time series 36-8, which includes a 2-0 mark in the Mazeitis-Fontenot era.

Last year, the Cajuns swept the Jaguars at Earl K. Long Gym on Sept. 13 by set scores of 25-12, 25-13, 25-21 and ironically ended a four-match losing streak that night. Lesley Mirarchi fueled the offense tallying 12 kills on 25 attempts and Taylor Meade recorded a rally scoring era-best nine aces.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Louisiana Breaks Up Road Swing With Home Match vs. Southern

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