Cowgirls Slip Past Ragin' Cajuns in Four Sets

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball dropped a four-set match to McNeese State on the final night of a five-match homestand at Earl K. Long Gym.

Led by Rae Myers, who came off the bench and produced 15 kills, McNeese (2-6) rebounded from a loss in the opening set and rallied for the 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-17) win over the Ragin' Cajuns (1-7).

The Cowgirls hit .333 and .391 in the second and third set, respectively, to forge ahead in the match. The Ragin' Cajuns fought off set point twice in the fourth set only to have McNeese land a kill and a service ace to break a 25-all tie and end the match.

Stacey Reilly posted a double-double for the fifth consecutive match, leading the Ragin' Cajuns with 16 kills and 19 digs. Reilly has reached double digits in kills all eight matches.

Reilly concluded the five-match homestand with 69 kills over 21 sets (3.29 kills/set) and contributed 75 digs (3.57 digs per set).

Chanelle Gardner tallied 12 kills on just 22 swings, fueled by a .500 hitting percentage (12 K, 1 E, 22 TA). Gardner has hit above .300 each match this season. She upped her season percentage to .427, which ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Ragin' Cajuns served up a season-high 11 aces. Reilly collected a career-high five, with three alone in the opening set.

Louisiana won the first set for the seventh time in eight matches. Gardner paved the way with five kills on nine attempts as the Ragin' Cajuns held an 11-7 edge in kills.

Gardner opened the set with a kill and with the exception of two early ties, Louisiana led the entire way to a 25-16 triumph. After the Cowgirls cut the deficit to 18-15, the Ragin' Cajuns reeled off five unanswered points largely benefitting from McNeese attack errors.

The Cowgirls responded in the second set with 16 kills, while the Ragin' Cajuns produced eight and hit .061. The visitors grabbed the first point and fought off five ties to prevent Louisiana from taking a 2-0 lead.

The Ragin' Cajuns, who trailed 21-15, sliced their deficit to 23-20 on a kill from Reilly. The Cowgirls countered with a kill by Jenny D'Alessandro, for a sideout, then a block thrown up by D'Alessandro and Myers to secure set point and even the match.

Louisiana turns its attention to its final two pre-conference tournaments of the season – the North Texas Invitational (Sept. 9-10) in Denton, Texas and Fight Like Hal Memorial Invitational hosted by UAB (Sept. 15-16) in Birmingham, Ala.

First up is the trip to Denton this weekend for the North Texas Invitational at the Mean Green Volleyball Center. The Ragin' Cajuns will face host-North Texas at 12:30 p.m. and UNCW at 5 p.m. on Friday, then have an early morning bout with Indiana State at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

-- GeauxCajuns --

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Team Stats

Stacey Reilly

Chanelle Gardner

Hanna Rovira

Nia Antoine

Players Mentioned

Chanelle Gardner

Stacey Reilly