Louisiana Wraps Up Home Slate, Faces USM in Key SBC Volleyball Series

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team wraps up its home schedule hosting Southern Miss at Earl K. Long Gym from Thursday-Friday, November 3-4. Both outings of the two-match Sun Belt Conference series are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

Louisiana (13-8, 7-5 Sun Belt) carries a season-best, four-match winning streak into the series with Southern Miss (16-8, 8-4 Sun Belt), coming off consecutive SBC series sweeps (ODU & ULM).

Admission to all Ragin' Cajuns home volleyball matches is free. Fans should park in the designated ParkMobile parking lots which can be found on the Volleyball Match Day Parking page.

The Ragin' Cajuns will hold their Senior Night ceremony on Friday (Nov. 4), honoring the team's lone senior, Kelsey Bennett, prior to first serve.

Fans are encouraged to wear white for the series opener on Thursday (Nov. 3) for the team's White Out. Free "White Hot" rally towels will be distributed.

HOW TO FOLLOW
vs. Southern Miss | Thursday, November 3, 6:00 p.m. (CDT)
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Twitter Updates

vs. Southern Miss | Friday, November 4, 6:00 p.m. (CDT)
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Twitter Updates

SERIES HISTORY
- Southern Miss: Louisiana leads, 24-12 | Last match: L, 2-3 on 8/28/2021 in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Sun Belt Matches: First Meeting | Current Streak: USM +1

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

One Last Curtain Call: The USM series marks the final appearance at E.K. Long Gym for senior outside hitter Kelsey Bennett, who has been part of the Louisiana Volleyball program since the 2018 season and who through her leadership and performance on the court has left a significant imprint on the program.
Opportunity Awaits: The Ragin' Cajuns-Golden Eagles matchup will play a factor in seeding for the Sun Belt Tournament. Louisiana seeks to continue climbing higher from its current SBC West No. 5 slot. UL trails Southern Miss (and South Alabama) by one game in the SBC West standings for third place, and sits only two games away from second place.
Crushing It: Back playing outside hitter primarily, Coco Gillett is finding her groove. She's coming off back-to-back double-doubles at ULM and has produced double digits in kills in four of the last five matches. From the service line, Gillett has scored 17 aces the past two weeks.
Near-Automatic: Kara Barnes has scored a kill on half or more of her attack attempts the last two weeks: 19 kills off 36 swings vs. ODU, then 26 kills off 52 swings at ULM. She is on a streak of three straight matches with double-digit kills on a .400-plus hitting.
Future Rising: Freshman Lauryn Hill has stepped up in conference play, having tallied the most kills (86) and second-most digs (121).

NEW FACES
- Kristi Gray welcomed five newcomers to the program in the offseason. Transfers Mya Wilson (Georgia Southern), Paige Guidry (Nicholls), Celeste Darling (Houston) and Paola Garcia (UNLV), plus incoming freshman Lauryn Hill (Frisco, Texas/Liberty HS) as the newest members of the squad.
- Wilson hit .220-plus and accumulated at least 150 kills and 50 blocks each season at Georgia Southern (2019-21). Darling, who returns to Louisiana after competing as a freshman with the Ragin' Cajuns in 2019, helped lead Houston to the American Athletic Conference West Division title in the 2020-21 season and a 20-win season the following fall campaign.

PRESEASON PRAISE
Kelsey Bennett and Coco Gillett, both All-Sun Belt Conference selections in 2021, represented Louisiana on the 2022 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Volleyball team.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana concludes regular season play on the road in Boone, North Carolina meeting App State at the Holmes Convocation Center for a two-match Sun Belt series from Friday-Saturday, November 11-12.

The series in Boone is set to air live on ESPN+ both days with first serve on Friday (Nov. 11) set for 5:00 p.m. (CST) and Saturday's match beginning at 12:00 p.m. (CST).

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 -