Cajuns Open Homestand, Start Second Half of League Play

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball Opens Homestand, Starts Second Half of League Play
Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 vs. Appalachian State | 6:30 p.m. | Earl K. Long Gym
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017 vs. Coastal Carolina | 6:30 p.m. | Earl K. Long Gym

Match 23: Louisiana (14-8, 7-1 Sun Belt) vs. Appalachian State (7-15, 2-6 Sun Belt)
Friday, Oct. 20 • 6:30 p.m. • Earl K. Long Gym (1,121) • Lafayette, La.
Series: Appalachian State leads 3-2
Last Meeting: 10/23/16 in Boone, N.C. – Louisiana W, 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 15-25, 25-16)
Live Stats | Live Video (FREE)

Match 24: Louisiana (14-8, 7-1 Sun Belt) vs. Coastal Carolina (10-7, 7-1 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Oct. 21 • 6:30 p.m. • Earl K. Long Gym (1,121) • Lafayette, La.
Series: Coastal Carolina leads 2-0
Last Meeting: 10/21/2016 in Conway, S.C. – Coastal Carolina W, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-17)
Live Stats | Live Video (FREE)

Rosters: Louisiana | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Schedules: Louisiana | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Season Stats: Louisiana | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @RaginCajunsVB
Opponents' Twitter: @AppStateVB | @CoastalVball

MATCH PROMOTIONS
Friday – Dig Pink Match

Dedicated to all who are affected by breast cancer
Fans are encouraged to wear pink
Pink shirts tossed into the stands throughout the match

Saturday – Girl Scout Night

Troop Poster Competition for a chance to win an autographed volleyball
Ragin' Cajuns volleyballs tossed into the stands throughout the match
Ragin' Cajuns Photo Booth area

SETTING THE SCENE
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team kicks off a four-match homestand at Earl K. Long Gym, which marks the final stretch of matches in the facility this season, hosting Appalachian State on Friday and Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

The Ragin' Cajuns (14-8, 7-1 Sun Belt) are the current leaders of the Sun Belt Conference West Division and seek to preserve their lead. The squad brings a seven-match home court win streak at E.K. Long Gym into the homestand.

The weekend set marks the lone matches of the regular season with Appalachian State (7-15, 2-6 Sun Belt) and Coastal Carolina (10-7, 7-1 Sun Belt), both members of the SBC East Division.

Louisiana seeks to rebound from a four-set defeat at Arkansas State last Sunday which snapped the school-record of seven straight wins to start conference play.

The Ragin' Cajuns have played some of their best volleyball at Earl K. Long Gym, sporting a .239 hitting percentage, averaging 14 kills per set and 18.95 digs per set while out-blocking the opposition 99-60. In the last two outings in the facility, the squad hit .318 and averaged 16.5 kills per set in sweeping Southeastern Louisiana and ULM.

The Ragin' Cajuns have utilized a balanced attack on offense in building the record-breaking start in Sun Belt play. Five different players averaged at least 1.50 kills per set with Nia Antoine (2.84 kills/set), Stacey Reilly (2.72 kills/set) and Hali Wisnoskie (2.69 kills/set) leading the charge.

Guided by setter Jessica Bartczyszyn, who is averaging 10.19 assists per set in league play, Louisiana is hitting .220 and averaging 13.09 kills per set in SBC action. Aside from last Sunday's ASU match (.082) the Ragin' Cajuns have hit at or above .200 in each conference match.

Saturday's match with the Chanticleers features two of the more efficient offenses in the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina leads the conference with a .233 season hitting percentage, while Louisiana ranks second with a .219 season hitting percentage. Both teams rank Top 5 in the league in kills per set.

Louisiana's defense will go head-to-head with one of the SBC's top offensive threats in the Chanticleers' Leah Hardeman. The Ragin' Cajuns lead the SBC in digs per set (17.12) and rank third in blocks per set (2.28) and they'll attempt to slow down Hardeman who is the league's leader in kills per set (4.66).

NOTEWORTHY
WELCOME TO CAJUN COUNTRY: Coastal Carolina visits Earl K. Long Gym for the first time. The Chanticleers are in their second season as members of the Sun Belt Conference. Prior to their entry into the SBC, the lone prior meeting between the two programs came in a Clemson-based tournament in 2004. Last season, the Ragin' Cajuns traveled to Conway, S.C., for the SBC tilt.

WELCOME BACK: Appalachian State returns to Earl K. Long Gym for the first time since October 2015. Last year's meeting with the Mountaineers occurred in Boone, N.C.

A START FOR THE AGES: Louisiana's 7-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play was both the program's best-ever as a member of the league (1991-present) and overall in program history, topping the previous record of 4-0 set by the 1986 squad.

FINAL HOMESTAND: The four-match homestand marks the final matches at Earl K. Long Gym for the 2017 senior class which includes: Jessica Bartczyszyn, Chynna Brooks, Chloe Cordell and Stacey Reilly.

LAST LEG TO 1,000: Senior Stacey Reilly's career kills total has increased to 965, continuing her climb toward the 1,000 mark. She is on pace to join Chanelle Gardner (1,000 kills) as the only players in the rally scoring era to reach 1,000 kills. Reilly is also on the verge of becoming the first Ragin' Cajun to record a 1,000-1,000 career of kills and digs since Priscilla Lima (1999-2002).

A WIZ ON OFFENSE: Hali Wisnoskie pushed her season kills total over 200 on last week's Arkansas road trip, becoming the first freshman since teammate Stacey Reilly (250 in 2014) to reach the mark. Wisnoskie's 224 kills are the ninth-most recorded by a Ragin' Cajuns freshman in the rally era.

APPROACHING HALF A CENTURY: Junior middle blocker Nia Antoine enters the weekend within eight kills of reaching the 500-plateau for her career. The Lafayette area and Acadiana High product presently owns 492 career kills through 235 career sets appeared in.

DAVIS DIGS IT: With her match-high 28 digs at Arkansas State, Sydney Davis pushed her over 400 for the season (410 actual). It's the second time in her career surpassing 400 (508 in 2016).

ROADBLOCK: Louisiana held an 11-8 edge in blocks at Arkansas State, marking the eighth straight match the squad out-blocked the opposition. The Ragin' Cajuns have held the advantage in blocks in seven of the eight SBC matches.

ROADBLOCK (Part 2): The Ragin' Cajuns season blocks total to currently stands at 189, putting the team on the verge of the first season of 200-plus blocks since 2014 (253).

FRONT ROW FORCE: Sophomore middle blocker Dree'Ana Abram has thrown up at least four blocks on 12 occasions, leading her to a team-high 76 total blocks (16 BS, 60 BA). Abram's average of 0.95 blocks per set is the highest by a Ragin' Cajun since Chanelle Gardner averaged 0.93 per set in 2013. Gardner (106 in 2014) was the last to eclipse 100 blocks in a season.

FAST START, QUICK FINISH: The Ragin' Cajuns success this year can be attributed to a 15-7 record in first sets and 10-4 mark when matches are extended past a third frame. During the recent nine-match win streak, Louisiana won the opening set each time.

IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE: One of the Ragin' Cajuns' goals is to have one of the Top 3 defenses in the Sun Belt. After eight weeks, the team leads the league in digs (17.12/set), sits third in blocks (2.28/set) and ranks fourth in opponents' hitting percentage (.190).

CLOSING ON RECORD: Head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot's wins total as Ragin' Cajuns head coach stands at 133 entering the four-match homestand. She's three (3) wins shy of tying Wilo Colon's program-record 136 victories.

COACH MAZEITIS-FONTENOT'S THOUGHTS
On qualities of team that are ideal for a tournament setting: "They're very workmanlike. There very intent on becoming very higher IQ players and because of that we've been able to make some in-game adjustments. So, during a tournament when the team we're playing next, if we happen to win, is watching us we can make those adjustments immediately. The most important thing I've seen is their IQ is very high and their willingness to work is great."

On starting second half of Sun Belt play with four straight at home: "It helps a lot. Our gym has been very friendly to us this season. Having these matches at home is vital to our seeding for the conference tournament. This year the head coaches decided to protect the top two seeds, giving them a bye, so it's really important for us to be successful at home."

UP NEXT
The Ragin' Cajuns conclude the season's final homestand at Earl K. Long Gym hosting UTA on Thursday, Oct. 26 and Texas State on Saturday, Oct. 28. Both matches begin at 6:30 p.m.

The matches with the Mavericks and Bobcats mark the final home outings for seniors Jessica Bartczyszyn, Chynna Brooks, Chloe Cordell and Stacey Reilly.

FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
For more information on Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball, as well as all of Ragin' Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow along with the team on Facebook (/ULVolleyball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsVB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsVB).

#GeauxCajuns

Cajuns Open Homestand, Start Second Half of League Play

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Players Mentioned

Dree'Ana Abram

Nia Antoine

Jessica Bartczyszyn

Chynna Brooks

Chloe Cordell

Sydney Davis

Chanelle Gardner

Chanelle Gardner

Stacey Reilly

Hali Wisnoskie

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Cajuns Open Homestand, Start Second Half of League Play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dree'Ana Abram

Nia Antoine

Jessica Bartczyszyn

Chynna Brooks

Chloe Cordell

Sydney Davis

Chanelle Gardner

Chanelle Gardner

Stacey Reilly

Hali Wisnoskie

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