Jaguars Hand Cajuns Season’s First Defeat

LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns fought back from down 2-1 to force a fifth set, and rallied from a late four-point deficit in the final set, but fell just short as South Alabama handed them their first loss of the season, 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 25-14, 17-25, 16-14), at Earl K. Long Gym.

Louisiana (10-1, 0-1 SBC) hit .385 in the fourth set after finding itself down 2-1 for the first time this season; however, the Jaguars (6-5, 1-0 SBC) never trailed in the final set, leading by as much as four points and reaching their first match-point try at 14-10.

The Cajuns reeled off four consecutive points of their own, getting kills from Chanelle Gardner and Stacey Reilly to help do so, and knotted the set at 14-14. But the Jaguars went to their top two scorers on the night – Jessica Lewis and Mechell Daniel – for the match's final two points to pick up their fourth win in their last five matches, and their fifth straight win over UL since 2011.

The loss puts to an end the Cajuns' 10-match win streak to open the season, a mark that is only bettered by a 13-0 start in 1990.

Gardner finished with a team-high 13 kills and five blocks for the Cajuns, who hit .200 for the match. Reilly and Andrea Hole each picked up double-doubles - Reilly with 12 kills and 14 digs, and Hole registering 47 assists, 10 digs and four blocks.

Sara Mossakowski also earned a double-double, with 12 kills and 11 digs, getting seven of her kills in the opening set. Caitlyn Auxilien added 19 digs, and Keely Hayes had 13, giving the Cajuns five players with at least 10 digs.

Lewis led all players with 17 kills and Daniel 14 for the Jaguars, who picked up the win despite hitting just .143 for the match.

USA hit just .116 in the first set, but finished the set on a 5-2 run to close out the opening set 25-23, despite Mossakowski's seven scores. But the Ragin' Cajuns ramped up their defense in the second frame, forcing 11 Jaguar errors and a -.057 attack percentage. UL never trailed after a kill from Abby Filce gave it an 8-7 advantage. The Cajuns stretched out the lead to as much as four at 15-11 on a block from Gardner and Hole, and ran out the set for a 25-17 win behind Hayes' final three serves.

However, the Jaguars flipped the script in the third set, hitting .441 with 19 of its 25 points coming from kills and ended the set on a 7-1 run to cruise to a 25-14 win.

The Cajuns responded with another 25-17 win in the fourth set to extend the match, hitting a match-high .385 after being down 2-1 for the first time this season. USA got as close as one point midway through the set before a service error sparked a 6-1 run that stretched the lead to a comfortable margin at 21-15. A pair of Jaguar misfires gave the Cajuns a set-point try, one that they cashed in on with a kill from Gardner on their first opportunity.

But the fifth set saw South Alabama get out to a quick 9-6 lead before kills from Filce and Kaylee Nemeth – who finished with nine kills on the night – pulled UL to within a point at 10-9. USA then came out of a timeout by scoring four of the next five points to get to its first match-point try at 14-10; however, a kill from Reilly kept the Cajuns alive. UL then forced three consecutive Jaguar errors to tie things up at 14-14; however, the Jaguars then turned to Lewis for the go-ahead kill and Daniel for the match-winner.

The Cajuns now go on the road for a pair of weekend tilts, beginning Friday at UALR and concluding Sunday at UT Arlington.

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Jaguars Hand Cajuns Season’s First Defeat

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Team Stats

Chanelle Gardner

Sara Mossakowski

Stacey Reilly

Kaylee Nemeth

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