University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, September 24
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
6-3, 1-0SBC
3
vs
1
Georgia State
3-9, 0-2SBC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State | 21 | 19 | 25 | 27 | 1 |
| Louisiana | 25 | 25 | 23 | 29 | 3 |
Fourth-Set Rebound Allows Louisiana Volleyball to Put Away Georgia State
9/24/2021 9:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Quick response allows Ragin’ Cajuns to regain control of the contest
LAFAYETTE – A change of momentum early in the fourth set resulted in Louisiana Volleyball bypassing a winner-take-all scenario and claiming a 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 29-27) win over Georgia State in the team's Sun Belt Conference opener on Friday at Earl K. Long Gym.
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With Louisiana trailing 8-3 just moments after GSU extended the match, Coco Gillett used a kill to spark a 9-0 run – in which she served up eight consecutive points – to turn the tide in the home team's favor and open a 12-8 lead.
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The Ragin' Cajuns (6-3, 1-0 Sun Belt) wouldn't trail the remainder of the fourth set in preventing the Panthers (3-8, 0-2 Sun Belt) from further extending the match. However, a late push by the visitors, who crawled back into a 24-all tie, forced Louisiana to work through four match points before closing the deal.
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Gillett broke the final tie of the night with a kill for a 28-27 lead, then it was the block of Kara Barnes and Siena DeCambra that halted the journey into extra points.
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Louisiana was able to lay claim to a commanding 2-0 match lead by controlling the early stages of the first two sets, leading 12-8 in the opener and 11-5 in the second stanza, before fending off a comeback attempt by Georgia State.
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A no-touch call confirmed in favor of the Ragin' Cajuns at 21-20 in the first set led to a favorable ending. In the second set, Gillett worked her magic with a kill followed by an ace that jumpstarted a 4-0 run to pull away after GSU crept within a pair at 21-19.
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The Ragin' Cajuns posted a .200-plus hitting percentage for the eighth time in nine matches (57 K, 20 E, 157 TA, .236) and scored an average of 14-plus kills per set.
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The win marked a successful Sun Belt Conference debut for head coach Kristi Gray and moved Louisiana to 2-0 on its current three-match homestand which concludes on Saturday (Sept. 25) with a 6 p.m. match against Georgia Southern.
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LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Gillett was Louisiana's leader on offense with her new season-high of 19 kills. It was her fourth straight match in double digits and surpassed her previous best of 14 kills vs. USC Upstate (Aug. 27) and Lamar (Sept. 21).
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By adding 13 digs to her stat line, Gillett captured her first double-double in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform.
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Kelsey Bennett was the other Ragin' Cajun with double-digit kills, finishing with 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage. Barnes and Chinelo Ogogor both provided timely kills, tallying eight apiece. In the fourth set, Ogogor slid over to the right side for a pair of kills that kept the Panthers at arm's length (15-11 and 21-17).
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The defense was led by five blocks from Cami Hicks and a match-high 24 digs rounded up by Hannah Ramirez.
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DeCambra and Reka Kotorman guided the offense with 27 assists and 16 assists, respectively, and also combined for 19 digs.
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UP NEXT
Sun Belt Opening Weekend and the season's first homestand concludes on Saturday (Sept. 25) when Louisiana hosts Georgia Southern at Earl K. Long Gym. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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A live stream is available on ESPN+ with Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Dan McDonald providing play-by-play commentary. Live stats can be accessed at CajunStats.com.
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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.
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With Louisiana trailing 8-3 just moments after GSU extended the match, Coco Gillett used a kill to spark a 9-0 run – in which she served up eight consecutive points – to turn the tide in the home team's favor and open a 12-8 lead.
Â
The Ragin' Cajuns (6-3, 1-0 Sun Belt) wouldn't trail the remainder of the fourth set in preventing the Panthers (3-8, 0-2 Sun Belt) from further extending the match. However, a late push by the visitors, who crawled back into a 24-all tie, forced Louisiana to work through four match points before closing the deal.
Â
Gillett broke the final tie of the night with a kill for a 28-27 lead, then it was the block of Kara Barnes and Siena DeCambra that halted the journey into extra points.
Â
Louisiana was able to lay claim to a commanding 2-0 match lead by controlling the early stages of the first two sets, leading 12-8 in the opener and 11-5 in the second stanza, before fending off a comeback attempt by Georgia State.
Â
A no-touch call confirmed in favor of the Ragin' Cajuns at 21-20 in the first set led to a favorable ending. In the second set, Gillett worked her magic with a kill followed by an ace that jumpstarted a 4-0 run to pull away after GSU crept within a pair at 21-19.
Â
The Ragin' Cajuns posted a .200-plus hitting percentage for the eighth time in nine matches (57 K, 20 E, 157 TA, .236) and scored an average of 14-plus kills per set.
Â
The win marked a successful Sun Belt Conference debut for head coach Kristi Gray and moved Louisiana to 2-0 on its current three-match homestand which concludes on Saturday (Sept. 25) with a 6 p.m. match against Georgia Southern.
Â
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Gillett was Louisiana's leader on offense with her new season-high of 19 kills. It was her fourth straight match in double digits and surpassed her previous best of 14 kills vs. USC Upstate (Aug. 27) and Lamar (Sept. 21).
Â
By adding 13 digs to her stat line, Gillett captured her first double-double in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform.
Â
Kelsey Bennett was the other Ragin' Cajun with double-digit kills, finishing with 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage. Barnes and Chinelo Ogogor both provided timely kills, tallying eight apiece. In the fourth set, Ogogor slid over to the right side for a pair of kills that kept the Panthers at arm's length (15-11 and 21-17).
Â
The defense was led by five blocks from Cami Hicks and a match-high 24 digs rounded up by Hannah Ramirez.
Â
DeCambra and Reka Kotorman guided the offense with 27 assists and 16 assists, respectively, and also combined for 19 digs.
Â
UP NEXT
Sun Belt Opening Weekend and the season's first homestand concludes on Saturday (Sept. 25) when Louisiana hosts Georgia Southern at Earl K. Long Gym. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Â
A live stream is available on ESPN+ with Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Dan McDonald providing play-by-play commentary. Live stats can be accessed at CajunStats.com.
Â
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.
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- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
GSU
LA
Kills
53
57
Errors
22
20
Attempts
165
157
Hitting %
.188
.236
Points
70.0
72.0
Assists
50
49
Aces
8
6
Blocks
9.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
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