UL Sweeps Belmont to Wrap Up Clean Sweep of Day 1 in Memphis

Contact: Matt Hebert

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team had to go a few extra rallies in a back-and-forth opening set, but once they claimed the opener it was smooth sailing the rest of the way to a 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-18) sweep of Belmont Friday afternoon in the Tiger Invitational at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

The Ragin' Cajuns (7-6) fought off set point trailing 25-24 in the opener as a Belmont attack error evened the score. Louisiana then responded with kills from Kelly Wiesmann and Tonice White to claim the set and never looked back.

There was only one lead change the rest of the match and it came when the Bruins (3-8) scored first in the third set. The Cajuns led by as much as 10 points in both the second and third set to complete the sweep in dominating fashion.

With the win the Ragin' Cajuns extended their current winning streak to three matches and improved to 6-5 in tournament action this year.

Louisiana completes play in the Tiger Invitational on Saturday with matches against Illinois-Chicago at 10 a.m., and host-Memphis at 5 p.m. UL seeks its first tournament championship in a road event since a 4-0 run through the McNeese Cowgirl Roundup Classic opening weekend of the 2002 season.

Like the Alabama A&M match earlier in the day, the Cajuns used a balanced attack to overwhelm their opponent. Lavinia Tataran led the way with eight kills, White added seven and Blair Claypoole and Wiesmann each had six.

For the second straight match the Cajuns out-hit the opposition each set. UL held a .176-.128 edge in the opening set, .375-.034 in the middle frame and .139-.053 in the final set.

The efficiency of Claypoole (six kills on 14 attempts) and Wiesmann (six kills on 17 attempts) fueled UL.

“The girls were playing focused and relaxed today,” head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot remarked. “We have been working on nuances in our offense and it is starting to pay dividends.

“We served really tough and passed extremely well,” Mazeitis-Fontenot added. “I was very proud of my team's effort here today and can't wait to get back on the court and fight for a tournament championship tomorrow.”

Louisiana hit .207 as a squad and held Belmont, a 2011 NCAA Tournament participant, to a .079 percentage. The Cajuns defense limited an opponent to a hitting percentage below .100 for the fourth straight match.

Libero Caitlyn Auxilien notched her 11^th double figure digs match as she piled up a team-best 14. Auxilien ended the day with 28 digs over six sets (4.67 digs/set). The Mandeville, La., native has already accumulated 196 digs in 2012, easily on pace to surpass the 308 she reached as a freshman last season.

Senior setter Mandi Gavin dished out 26 of UL's 33 assists. Combined with the 25 assists vs. Alabama A&M, the Arlington, Texas, native wrapped up the day with 51 assists. She lowered her total needed to become the fourth player in program history with 3,000 assists to 402.

Claypoole finished with a hitting percentage above .300 for the ninth time in 13 outings this season. The senior from Mesquite, Texas, leads Louisiana with a season hitting percentage of .339 (110 kills, 26 errors, 248 attempts).

The first set featured 13 ties and six lead changes. After UL pulled into a 15-all tie following a Madison Croft attack error, the teams alternated points until Belmont erased a 23-22 deficit with a Jen Myer kill and Tataran attack error.

Trailing 25-24, the Cajuns scored on the final three rallies to capture the momentum.

UL opened a 5-1 lead in the second set and boosted by a .375 hitting percentage for the set was never really challenged. A Tataran service error cut Belmont's deficit to 13-8, then three straight Cajuns kills (Gavin, Wiesmann, Claypoole) and a Bruins' attack error sealed up a 2-0 Louisiana lead in the match.

Kills by Gavin and Claypoole erased a 1-0 Belmont lead in the finale. The Cajuns gained separation by scoring on four straight rallies after a Gavin attack error helped the Bruins pull within two points, 9-7. After that the Bruins never got closer than five points.

Leading 24-15, the Cajuns had to wait four rallies before completing the sweep as Belmont used a Regan Kennamer and Madison Croft block, Myer kill, and Jamie Lundstrom ace to trim the deficit to 24-18. Tataran put away the Bruins with a kills after a timeout.

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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UL Sweeps Belmont to Wrap Up Clean Sweep of Day 1 in Memphis

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Team Stats

Lavinia Tataran

Tonice White

Blair Claypoole

Kelly Wiesmann

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