Match With ULM in Monroe Starts Busy Week on Road for Louisiana Volleyball

MONROE – The first round of matchups with Sun Belt West Division foes wraps up for Louisiana Volleyball on Tuesday in Monroe at Fant-Ewing Coliseum with a 6 p.m. match against the Warhawks.

Louisiana (10-4, 5-1 Sun Belt) carries a four-match win streak into the matchup with ULM (5-16, 1-5 Sun Belt), a streak which has vaulted the team to the top of the SBC West standings.

The win streak has coincided with the first round of meetings with the SBC West squads, with the Warhawks representing the final foe in the sequence. The Ragin' Cajuns have the opportunity to post a clean sweep of the opening round of SBC West play for the first time in program history.

Over the last two weekends Louisiana posted sweeps of weekend sets against UT Arlington and Texas State on the road, highlighted by the first-ever win over the Bobcats in San Marcos, as well as Arkansas State and Little Rock last weekend at Earl K. Long Gym.

The contest in Monroe marks the start to a busy three-match week for head coach Kristi Gray and her squad. Road battles at Appalachian State (Oct. 15) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 17) await the Ragin' Cajuns this weekend.

During the win streak the Ragin' Cajuns have been highly effective in blocking at the net, reaching double digits in three of the four outings, and added a balanced offense to the picture in the last outing with five players reaching double figures in kills against Little Rock.

Tuesday's meeting with ULM is being streamed live on ESPN3. Live stats can be accessed at CajunStats.com.

THE MATCHUP
Tuesday, Oct. 12
at ULM // Monroe, La. (Fant-Ewing Coliseum) // 6 p.m.

Rosters: Louisiana | ULM
Schedules: Louisiana | ULM
Stats: Louisiana | ULM
TV: ESPN3
Live Video: Click Here
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsVB

SET POINTS

The 2021 season serves as the inaugural campaign for Louisiana with head coach Kristi Gray, who was hired on April 26 after five highly successful seasons at Odessa College.
Louisiana has won the last six matches with ULM, most recently sweeping a two-match, home-and-home series during the 2020 season. Since ULM joined the Sun Belt (in 2006), Louisiana holds a commanding 27-5 lead in the series.
Tuesday's contest in Monroe concludes a string of five straight matches against Sun Belt West Division members. The Ragin' Cajuns will face four straight SBC East teams the next two weekends before the second round of SBC West play begins on Oct. 28 at Arkansas State.
The current win streak (four matches) is the Ragin' Cajuns longest of the 2021 season. It's the program's fourth Sun Belt win streak of at least four matches since the 2019 season.
Dating back to the 2019 season Louisiana has posted a 26-12 record in Sun Belt play.
Louisiana and South Alabama are the only Sun Belt teams yet to be dealt a straight sets defeat during the 2021 season.
The Ragin' Cajuns have claimed the first set 10 times in the season's first 14 matches and are undefeated (9-0) in matches of four sets or less.
Louisiana possesses one of the Sun Belt's most efficient offenses, leading the league with a .246 hitting percentage and tied for the lead (with Troy) at 13.4 kills per set.
Kelsey Bennett has emerged as the leader of Louisiana's offense. Bennett is averaging 3.9 kills per set on a .272 hitting percentage.
Last weekend Kelsey Bennett clinched her third consecutive 200-200 season of kills and digs. The Allen, Texas product has amassed 222 kills and 217 digs.
Coco Gillett has helped the Cajuns finish off the matches recently. She totaled five kills in both of the deciding sets at UTA and Texas State, then against Arkansas State scored seven kills in the third set.
Middle blockers Kara Barnes and Cami Hicks have both surpassed 50 blocks this season. The duo had a hand in a combined 19 blocks as Louisiana out-blocked Arkansas State and Little Rock by a 23-11 margin.
Setters Siena DeCambra and Reka Kotorman direct the Cajuns' 6-2 offense. The duo directed the Ragin' Cajuns to 14.9 kills per set on a .276 hitting percentage in the sweep of Arkansas State and Little Rock.

NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
9: Outside hitter Coco Gillett has generated double digits in kills in nine consecutive matches. During the streak she's totaled 125 kills at a rate of 3.5 per set on a .248 hitting percentage.
11: Kelsey Bennett owns a team-leading 11 double-doubles through the season's first 14 matches. She's increased her career total to 29 double-doubles.
+24: One of the key factors in Louisiana's success has been its positive differential at the service line. The squad owns 24 more service aces (94) than service errors (70).

UP NEXT
Following Tuesday's visit to Monroe, the Ragin' Cajuns remain on the road traveling to the East Coast for matches with Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina from Friday-Sunday, Oct. 15-17.

First serve on Friday in Boone is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (CDT) and the matchup at Coastal Carolina is set for 11 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday. Both matches can be viewed on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsVB), Facebook (/RaginCajunsVB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsVB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Volleyball.

- www.RaginCajuns.com -

Match With ULM in Monroe Starts Busy Week on Road for Louisiana Volleyball

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Match With ULM in Monroe Starts Busy Week on Road for Louisiana Volleyball

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