Louisiana Volleyball Closes Road Slate, Returns to SBC West Division Play

JONESBORO, Ark. – The final road trip for the Louisiana Volleyball team begins on Thursday (Oct. 28) at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro with a 6 p.m. match vs. Arkansas State.

After the ASU contest, the road portion of the 2021 season schedule will be completed on Saturday (Oct. 30) in Little Rock during a 6:15 p.m. match against the Trojans at Jack Stephens Center.

Louisiana (11-8, 6-5 Sun Belt) opens the second round of Sun Belt West Division play with the matchup against the Red Wolves. The Ragin' Cajuns posted a clean sweep (5-0) of the first round of SBC West Division play.

As the regular season stretch run begins the Ragin' Cajuns aim to hold on to their second-place standing in the SBC West and remain in contention for the division title. The top two teams in each SBC division receive a bye from the first round of the conference tournament.

Louisiana has had recent success against this weekend's foes, winning six of the last eight matches overall vs. Arkansas State and the last six Sun Belt regular season meetings with Little Rock.

A live stream of both contests is available on ESPN+. Live stats are available at CajunStats.com.

THE MATCHUPS
Thursday, Oct. 28
at Arkansas State // Jonesboro, Ark. // 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 30
at Little Rock // Little Rock, Ark. // 6:15 p.m.

Match Notes (PDF): Louisiana
Rosters: Louisiana | Arkansas State | Little Rock
Schedules: Louisiana | Arkansas State | Little Rock
Stats (PDF): Louisiana | Arkansas State | Little Rock
TV: ESPN+
Live Video: Friday | Saturday
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday
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.
While in Arkansas from Oct. 28-30 the Ragin' Cajuns play their final road matches and begin the second round of Sun Belt West Division play.
Louisiana posted a clean sweep of the first round of SBC West Division play - a first in program history.
In the previous round of SBC West play, Louisiana swept Arkansas State and claimed a four-set win over Little Rock from Oct. 8-9 at Earl K. Long Gym.
The Cajuns seek to halt a four-match losing streak, maintain their hold on second place in the SBC West and remain in the running for the division title.
Following the trip to Arkansas, Louisiana plays its final three matches at home starting Nov. 6 vs. ULM.
The Ragin' Cajuns own a 10-3 record in matches of four sets or less.
Louisiana went 18 matches before being dealt a straight sets defeat.
Louisiana's season-best, five-match win streak from Oct. 1-12 was the program's fourth Sun Belt win streak of four or more matches since 2019.
Louisiana possesses one of the Sun Belt's most efficient offenses, leading the league in hitting percentage up until Oct. 23 (currently second at .238).
Kelsey Bennett has emerged as the leader of Louisiana's offense in 2021. Bennett is averaging 3.8 kills per set on a .258 hitting percentage.
Kelsey Bennett already owns three consecutive 200-200 seasons of kills and digs. She's nine kills and 44 digs shy her first collegiate 300-300 season.
Middle blockers Kara Barnes and Cami Hicks each have 76 blocks – a new single-season best for both.
Coco Gillett totaled at least five kills in the match-clinching set four times during the five-match win streak (UTA, TXST, ASU, ULM).
Emery Judkins turned in back-to-back .300-plus hitting nights vs. South Alabama and Troy.
Setter Siena DeCambra ranks second with nine double-doubles, mostly operating out of the 6-2 attack.

NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
.200: Louisiana's offense has finished with a .200 or higher hitting percentage in all but five matches. The Ragin' Cajuns are 9-5 when hitting at or above the .200 mark.
12: Kelsey Bennett owns a team-leading 12 double-doubles through the season's 19 matches. She's increased her career total to 30 double-doubles.
+9: One of the key factors in Louisiana's success has been its positive differential at the service line. The squad owns nine more service aces (117) than service errors (108).

UP NEXT
After the calendar flips over to November, the Louisiana Volleyball team spends the remainder of the regular season inside the friendly confines of Earl K. Long Gym.

The Ragin' Cajuns are scheduled for a three-match homestand to close the regular season, starting on Saturday, Nov. 6 with a 2 p.m. match vs. ULM. The following weekend (Nov. 12-13) UT Arlington and Texas State visit. All three matches are set to air on ESPN+.

Louisiana will be celebrating Alumni Weekend during the ULM match highlighted by a tribute to Sawyer Camillo.

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 -

Louisiana Volleyball Closes Road Slate, Returns to SBC West Division Play

Players Mentioned

Kara Barnes

Kelsey Bennett

Siena DeCambra

Coco Gillett

Cami Hicks

Emery Judkins

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Volleyball Closes Road Slate, Returns to SBC West Division Play

Players Mentioned

Kara Barnes

Kelsey Bennett

Siena DeCambra

Coco Gillett

Cami Hicks

Emery Judkins

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