University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, November 18
Foley, Ala.
7:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
15-12
1
vs
3
Texas State
23-6
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
18
26
20
14
1
Texas State
25
24
25
25
3
Ragin’ Cajuns SBC Tournament Run Halted by Texas State’s Hot Hand
11/18/2022 11:48:00 PM | Volleyball
Efficiency proved to be the difference after a dead heat through first two sets
FOLEY, Ala. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team was even with Texas State after two sets in Friday's Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinal matchup, however the Bobcats ability to play low-error in the final two frames was the difference in their 3-1 (25-18, 24-26, 25-20, 25-14) win over the Ragin' Cajuns.
Texas State (23-6) hit .453 and committed just three errors compared to the 12 from Louisiana (15-12) in breaking free from the match stalemate, eliminating the Ragin' Cajuns from the SBC Tournament.
The Bobcats stockpiled 18 kills to edge out the Ragin' Cajuns in the third set, 25-20, then paced by an extremely high hitting percentage in Set 4, which closed at .583, quickly broke free from a one-point score with a decisive 8-0 run that opened a 16-7 lead.
The first half of the contest saw the Ragin' Cajuns push the SBC West's top seed to the limit with not much separating the two squads. Both squads hit well above .200, committed nine errors apiece and Texas State held a slim 28-27 edge in the kills department.
Celeste Darling scored a pair of kills early helping Louisiana jump in front 5-3 in the opening set. The Bobcats responded with a 4-0 run to forge ahead, but the Ragin' Cajuns kept them in sight with Kara Barnes powering down a kill for an 8-all tie and she later combined with Darling for a block and another tie at 17-apiece.
Texas State was able to break away for the all-important Set 1 triumph getting back-to-back kills from Jada Gardner and Janell Fitzgerald, then added three more scores following a Louisiana timeout to stretch the advantage to 22-17.
Louisiana seized the momentum in Set 2 after an ace from Reka Kotorman provided an 11-10 lead then Barnes and Darling tormented the Bobcats with their defense and offense leading to a block and kill that made it 13-10. The lead was later up to four, at 16-12, after a pair of Bobcats miscues.
Despite a push back from Texas State the Ragin' Cajuns didn't waver as Mya Wilson scored a kill to force extra points and Kotorman followed with back-to-back aces to clinch the frame and even the match.
Texas State was able to shake off the Ragin' Cajuns in the back half by netting a kill on half of its remaining swings, collecting 32 kills off of 64 swings in the final two stanzas. A balanced attack of five players with at least nine kills for the match was an added boost.
Louisiana was bested on a neutral court for the only time in the 2022 season and rounded out Sun Belt Tournament play at 1-1 for the second straight season with head coach Kristi Gray.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
In her last Sun Belt Tournament outing, senior outside hitter Kelsey Bennett posted a team-high 12 kills on 26 swings and a .269 hitting percentage.
Coco Gillett (11 kills) and Darling (10 kills) also hit double digits for the second straight night. Gillett added 13 digs for her eighth consecutive double-double while Darling tacked on four blocks to her final stat line.
Barnes was also in on four blocks, joining Darling in claiming match-high honors. She tacked on five kills off of only nine swings.
Kotorman handed out 22 assists and totaled three service aces. It was her fourth match with multiple aces in the past five weeks and it upped her season total to 26 aces, the second-most on the squad.
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.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Texas State (23-6) hit .453 and committed just three errors compared to the 12 from Louisiana (15-12) in breaking free from the match stalemate, eliminating the Ragin' Cajuns from the SBC Tournament.
The Bobcats stockpiled 18 kills to edge out the Ragin' Cajuns in the third set, 25-20, then paced by an extremely high hitting percentage in Set 4, which closed at .583, quickly broke free from a one-point score with a decisive 8-0 run that opened a 16-7 lead.
The first half of the contest saw the Ragin' Cajuns push the SBC West's top seed to the limit with not much separating the two squads. Both squads hit well above .200, committed nine errors apiece and Texas State held a slim 28-27 edge in the kills department.
Celeste Darling scored a pair of kills early helping Louisiana jump in front 5-3 in the opening set. The Bobcats responded with a 4-0 run to forge ahead, but the Ragin' Cajuns kept them in sight with Kara Barnes powering down a kill for an 8-all tie and she later combined with Darling for a block and another tie at 17-apiece.
Texas State was able to break away for the all-important Set 1 triumph getting back-to-back kills from Jada Gardner and Janell Fitzgerald, then added three more scores following a Louisiana timeout to stretch the advantage to 22-17.
Louisiana seized the momentum in Set 2 after an ace from Reka Kotorman provided an 11-10 lead then Barnes and Darling tormented the Bobcats with their defense and offense leading to a block and kill that made it 13-10. The lead was later up to four, at 16-12, after a pair of Bobcats miscues.
Despite a push back from Texas State the Ragin' Cajuns didn't waver as Mya Wilson scored a kill to force extra points and Kotorman followed with back-to-back aces to clinch the frame and even the match.
Texas State was able to shake off the Ragin' Cajuns in the back half by netting a kill on half of its remaining swings, collecting 32 kills off of 64 swings in the final two stanzas. A balanced attack of five players with at least nine kills for the match was an added boost.
Louisiana was bested on a neutral court for the only time in the 2022 season and rounded out Sun Belt Tournament play at 1-1 for the second straight season with head coach Kristi Gray.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
In her last Sun Belt Tournament outing, senior outside hitter Kelsey Bennett posted a team-high 12 kills on 26 swings and a .269 hitting percentage.
Coco Gillett (11 kills) and Darling (10 kills) also hit double digits for the second straight night. Gillett added 13 digs for her eighth consecutive double-double while Darling tacked on four blocks to her final stat line.
Barnes was also in on four blocks, joining Darling in claiming match-high honors. She tacked on five kills off of only nine swings.
Kotorman handed out 22 assists and totaled three service aces. It was her fourth match with multiple aces in the past five weeks and it upped her season total to 26 aces, the second-most on the squad.
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.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
LA
TXST
Kills
49
60
Errors
21
12
Attempts
138
125
Hitting %
.203
.384
Points
58.0
72.0
Assists
47
58
Aces
4
7
Blocks
5.0
5.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballOH/L
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballRS/MB
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