Louisiana in Memphis for Final Tournament of 2012 Season

Contact: Matt Hebert

Tiger Invitational Tournament Central

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team wraps up pre-conference tournament action as they participate in the Tiger Invitational hosted by the University of Memphis here Friday-Saturday, Sept. 14-15 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Louisiana (5-6), coming off a 3-0 win over Southern on Tuesday by forfeiture, is scheduled to meet Alabama A&M at 10 a.m., and Belmont at 2 p.m., on Friday. UL concludes tournament play on Saturday with matches against Illinois-Chicago at 10 a.m., and host-Memphis at 5 p.m.

The win over Southern snapped a four-match losing skid for the Ragin' Cajuns.

The Cajuns seek to finish pre-conference tournament play on a high note, after experiencing a 0-3 mark at the University of Florida Active Ankle Challenge last weekend. The Cajuns challenged Georgia Tech and No. 15 Florida and fell victim to a rally by Jacksonville in the five-set finale.

“We are set to face quality competition this weekend,” head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot remarked. “Belmont was at the NCAA Tournament last season, Memphis always has an outstanding squad and there are two other teams we haven't faced in my tenure. It will be an interesting test.

“There are some matches we would like to have back, but that's not an option and we have to move forward. This is the most offense I've had since I came here (to UL), so I strongly believe we will bounce back. We need to increase our consistency because when we are playing at a 'B-plus level' we can have tremendous success.”

The Tiger Invitational marks the final contests for Louisiana before starting Sun Belt Conference action next Thursday (Sept. 20) at in-state rival La.-Monroe.

UL is 4-5 in tournament action this season (1-2 at Sam Houston; 3-0 Bon Temps Invitational; 0-3 Active Ankle Challenge).

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 is coming off an all-tournament performance at the Active Ankle Challenge. The Mesquite, Texas native notched a team-best 41 kills over 12 sets (3.42 kill/sets) and hit .378 for the two-day event, committing only seven errors through 90 swings.

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 (2.59 kps) and Claypoole (2.46 kps). Claypoole tops the squad with a season hitting percentage of .333 which ranks as the fourth-best mark in the Sun Belt Conference.

Gavin continues her march toward becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach 3,000 career assists. She has accumulated 363 through 11 matches this season to lower her total needed to reach the 3,000-plateau to 453.

Libero Caitlyn Auxilien had scooped up double figures in digs in eight consecutive matches prior to Southern forfeiting Tuesday's match in the second set. She has reached double digits in nine of 11 matches this season. The Mandeville, La., native has picked up 168 digs through 39 sets, an average of 4.31 digs per set.

UL appears in Memphis for a tournament for the first time under Mazeitis-Fontenot and first time since the 2007 season. In 2007, the Cajuns went 0-3 in the Tiger Invitational dropping matches to Stetson, UAB and Memphis.

Louisiana does have past history with all four opponents, having faced Memphis the most (12 prior meetings).

UL and Alabama A&M have met only once before with the Cajuns coming away victorious 3-0 at the Southern University Tournament on Oct. 8, 1988 in Baton Rouge. The Cajuns and Belmont have also met only once before, that meeting occurring on Sept. 9, 2000 at the Samford Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. (UL won 3-1).

Louisiana has faced Illinois-Chicago twice previously with the Cajuns and Flames each winning once. UL took the last meeting from UIC, 3-2, on Sept. 17, 2004 in Oxford, Miss., in the Ole Miss Rebel Classic.

The series with Memphis is 12-matches old with UM holding an 8-4 advantage. The Tigers won the last meeting 3-0 in the 2007 Tiger Invitational (Sept. 15, 2007).

Live coverage of the Tiger Invitational can be accessed by clicking the tournament central at the top of the article. Live stats and live video is being offered through GoTigersGo.com.

For all of the latest news and information on Ragin' Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow the athletics department on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/ULRaginCajuns along with @ULRaginCajuns on Twitter.

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Louisiana in Memphis for Final Tournament of 2012 Season

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