Louisiana Starts Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Venture Thursday

FOLEY, Ala. – Louisiana Volleyball opens postseason play at 5 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, Nov. 18, meeting Appalachian State in the first round of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala.

The Ragin' Cajuns (14-10, 9-7 Sun Belt) are the No. 3 seed out of the SBC West Division and the Mountaineers (7-21, 3-13 Sun Belt) are the No. 6 seed out of the SBC East Division. The winner plays the East's second seed, Coastal Carolina (18-8, 12-4 Sun Belt), on Friday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. (CST).

Thursday's match is the second meeting this season between Louisiana and Appalachian State. The Ragin' Cajuns seek to avenge a four-set loss to the Mountaineers back on Oct. 15 in Boone.

Louisiana is joining all other Sun Belt Conference programs in competing for the league's tournament title Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 18-21 at the Foley Events Center. Live video coverage of every match will be available on ESPN+.

The SBC Tournament utilizes a single-elimination format. Louisiana's half of the bracket, headed by SBC West No. 1 seed Texas State, is slotted for the 6:30 p.m. (CST) semifinal contest on Saturday, Nov. 20. The championship match is slated for 1 p.m. (CST) on Sunday, Nov. 21.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online through the volleyball championship central page at Sunbeltsports.org. Tickets can also be purchased via a smartphone at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex utilizing the QR codes located at the entrance. No on site cash transactions will take place.

OPENING ROUND MATCHUPS
Thursday, Nov. 18
(3W) Louisiana vs. (6E) Appalachian State // Foley, Ala. // 5 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 19
LA-APP winner vs. (2E) Coastal Carolina // Foley, Ala. // 5 p.m.

Sun Belt Tournament Central
Sun Belt Tournament Bracket

Match Notes (PDF): Louisiana
Rosters: Louisiana | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Schedules: Louisiana | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Stats: Louisiana | Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
TV: ESPN+
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsVB

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Match 1 - (3E) Georgia Southern vs. (6W) ULM – 12 p.m. CST
Match 2 - (4W) Arkansas State vs. (5E) Georgia State – 2:30 p.m. CST
Match 3 - (3W) Louisiana vs. (6E) Appalachian State – 5 p.m. CST
Match 4 - (4E) Troy vs. (5W) Little Rock – 7:30 p.m. CST

Friday, November 19, 2021
Match 5 – (2W) UTA vs. Winner Match 1 – 12 p.m. CST
Match 6 – (1E) South Alabama vs. Winner Match 2 – 2:30 p.m. CST
Match 7 – (2E) Coastal Carolina vs. Winner Match 3 – 5 p.m. CST
Match 8 – (1W) Texas State vs. Winner Match 4 – 7:30 p.m. CST

Saturday, November 20, 2021
Match 9 – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6 – 4 p.m. CST
Match 10 – Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8 – 6:30 p.m. CST

Sunday, November 21, 2021 (Championship)
Match 11 – Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10 – 1 p.m. CST

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Appearances: 15 (1991, 1997-2002, 2010, 2012-14, 2017, 2019-21)
All-Time Record: 5-15 (.250)
Best Finish: Semifinals (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2017)
Last Tournament Match: 11/20/2020 in Foley, Ala. – vs. Georgia State L, 2-3 (25-10, 19-25, 25-17, 20-25, 10-15)

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 possesses one of the Sun Belt's most efficient offenses, leading the league in hitting percentage until Oct. 23. The mark has been Top 5 all season, currently at a program rally era record .230.
Boosted by a clean sweep of the first round of SBC West Division play, Louisiana was in contention for the division title entering the month of November.
Kelsey Bennett and Coco Gillett represented Louisiana on the 2021 All-Sun Belt Team. It's the fifth straight season with multiple honorees – continuing the longest stretch as a member of the league.
Kelsey Bennett earned repeat All-Sun Belt honors (2020 All-Sun Belt) Second Team, elevating to first team status in 2021.
Louisiana makes its 15th all-time Sun Belt Tournament appearance and the first under the direction of Kristi Gray.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek better fortune in Foley. A year ago, limited in depth by COVID protocols, Louisiana went 0-2 in the pool play format.
Louisiana seeks to avenge a four-set loss to Appalachian State back on Oct. 15 in Boone, N.C.
The program's last Sun Belt Tournament victory came in 2017 in Jonesboro, Ark., vs. App State.
With a win, Louisiana would advance to face Coastal Carolina in the quarterfinal round. The Ragin' Cajuns nearly reverse swept Coastal in October, pushing the Chants through 8-all in Set 5.
To advance in the tournament, Louisiana will have to reverse its 1-5 mark vs. SBC East teams in 2021.
Louisiana owns a 12-4 record in matches of four sets or less.
The Ragin' Cajuns played 18 matches before a straight sets loss (Troy) – only one of the season.
Kelsey Bennett produced a third consecutive 200-200 season of kills and digs, and the first-ever 300-300 season of her collegiate career.
Kelsey Bennett was the only outside hitter in the Sun Belt with 300 kills and a .250-plus hitting percentage during regular season play.
Coco Gillett posted 30-plus kills twice over the last three weekends, and four double-doubles over the last five outings.

NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
2: Only twice this season has Louisiana faced an 0-2 match deficit. Back on Oct. 17, the Ragin' Cajuns rebounded to force Coastal Carolina to a decisive fifth set.
15: Kelsey Bennett owns a team-leading 15 double-doubles, including three 20-20 double-doubles of kills and digs. She's increased her career total to 33 double-doubles.
16: Number of matches (out of 24) this season that Louisiana has hit above .200 (11-5 record).

UP NEXT
Should Louisiana record wins over Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina at the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament the squad would advance to the 6:30 p.m. (CST) semifinal round contest on Saturday, Nov. 20 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.

The championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CST) on Sunday, Nov. 21.

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 Starts Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Venture Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bennett

Coco Gillett

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Starts Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Venture Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bennett

Coco Gillett

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