University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, November 3
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
14-8, 8-5SBC
3
vs
1
Southern Miss
16-9, 8-5SBC
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Miss
24
22
28
26
1
Louisiana
26
25
26
28
3
Louisiana Upends Southern Miss, Stretches Win Streak to Five Matches
11/3/2022 10:29:00 PM | Volleyball
Ragin’ Cajuns had the upper hand in tightly contested bout, draws even with USM in SBC West
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team outlasted Southern Miss in match that saw every set decided by three points or less, coming away with a crucial Sun Belt Conference win on Thursday, November 3 at Earl K. Long Gym by a 3-1 (26-24, 25-22, 26-28, 28-26) count.
The Ragin' Cajuns (14-8, 8-5 Sun Belt) battled through 42 tied scores and 18 lead changes before securing the win which pulled the squad even and into a fourth-place tie in the SBC West standings with the Golden Eagles (16-9, 8-5 Sun Belt).
The win was the fifth consecutive for Louisiana and was the first step in an opportunity to climb higher in the SBC West from the team's No. 5 spot in the ledger entering the series.
The deciding difference for the Ragin' Cajuns was a pair of triumphs in extra points, starting with a perfectly placed shot from Emery Judkins near the back line that netted a 26-24 win in Set 1 and ending at the finish line with a pair of miscommunication issues for USM that handed the hosts a 28-26 win in Set 4.
After fending off a late Golden Eagles rally in the first set Louisiana quickly continued the momentum shift, scoring the first two points of Set 2, jumping ahead 7-3 after back-to-back kills from Cami Hicks and Kara Barnes, and later doubling up the visitors at 12-6 after a combo block from Hicks and Celeste Darling.
USM rallied to grab hold of a 20-19 lead, but Louisiana responded with four unanswered tallies to lock up the commanding 2-0 match lead. Starting with a Coco Gillett kill and Barnes/Hicks block the Ragin' Cajuns reversed course and pulled ahead 23-20.
A Mia Wesley kill gave the Golden Eagles a 19-18 lead in Set 3 and they stayed in front of the Ragin' Cajuns the rest of the way to notch the set victory and extend the match.
Louisiana overcame a 4-1 USM start to Set 4 and later a four-point deficit (19-15) to finish off the contest. The Ragin' Cajuns worked around set point after Lauryn Hill and Barnes threw up a block and Darling followed with a kill for a 25-24 edge.
Thursday's contest marked the start of Senior Weekend for Louisiana which wraps up its home slate on Friday in the series finale with USM at E.K. Long Gym. It was the first-ever Sun Belt Conference contest between the two programs.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Gillett landed a double-double for the third straight match as she finished with team-high totals of 14 kills and 25 digs.
Judkins (12 kills) and Darling (11 kills) provided an offensive spark from the right side, the duo combining for 23 kills off 62 total swings.
Hicks finished tied the Barnes for match-high honors with five blocks and teamed up with Darling three times for stuffs.
Libero Paige Guidry joined Gillett in reaching 20 digs, collecting exactly the amount for her season-best performance and third straight outing with 15-plus digs.
Setters Reka Kotorman and Siena DeCambra combined for 45 assists, 17 digs and three service aces.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana makes its bid to surpass Southern Miss in the Sun Belt West standings and goes for its third consecutive conference series sweep on Friday, November 4 when the two teams square off at 6:00 p.m. in inside Earl K. Long Gym.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be celebrating Senior Night and honoring the team's lone senior, Kelsey Bennett, in a pre-match ceremony.
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.
The Ragin' Cajuns (14-8, 8-5 Sun Belt) battled through 42 tied scores and 18 lead changes before securing the win which pulled the squad even and into a fourth-place tie in the SBC West standings with the Golden Eagles (16-9, 8-5 Sun Belt).
The win was the fifth consecutive for Louisiana and was the first step in an opportunity to climb higher in the SBC West from the team's No. 5 spot in the ledger entering the series.
The deciding difference for the Ragin' Cajuns was a pair of triumphs in extra points, starting with a perfectly placed shot from Emery Judkins near the back line that netted a 26-24 win in Set 1 and ending at the finish line with a pair of miscommunication issues for USM that handed the hosts a 28-26 win in Set 4.
After fending off a late Golden Eagles rally in the first set Louisiana quickly continued the momentum shift, scoring the first two points of Set 2, jumping ahead 7-3 after back-to-back kills from Cami Hicks and Kara Barnes, and later doubling up the visitors at 12-6 after a combo block from Hicks and Celeste Darling.
USM rallied to grab hold of a 20-19 lead, but Louisiana responded with four unanswered tallies to lock up the commanding 2-0 match lead. Starting with a Coco Gillett kill and Barnes/Hicks block the Ragin' Cajuns reversed course and pulled ahead 23-20.
A Mia Wesley kill gave the Golden Eagles a 19-18 lead in Set 3 and they stayed in front of the Ragin' Cajuns the rest of the way to notch the set victory and extend the match.
Louisiana overcame a 4-1 USM start to Set 4 and later a four-point deficit (19-15) to finish off the contest. The Ragin' Cajuns worked around set point after Lauryn Hill and Barnes threw up a block and Darling followed with a kill for a 25-24 edge.
Thursday's contest marked the start of Senior Weekend for Louisiana which wraps up its home slate on Friday in the series finale with USM at E.K. Long Gym. It was the first-ever Sun Belt Conference contest between the two programs.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Gillett landed a double-double for the third straight match as she finished with team-high totals of 14 kills and 25 digs.
Judkins (12 kills) and Darling (11 kills) provided an offensive spark from the right side, the duo combining for 23 kills off 62 total swings.
Hicks finished tied the Barnes for match-high honors with five blocks and teamed up with Darling three times for stuffs.
Libero Paige Guidry joined Gillett in reaching 20 digs, collecting exactly the amount for her season-best performance and third straight outing with 15-plus digs.
Setters Reka Kotorman and Siena DeCambra combined for 45 assists, 17 digs and three service aces.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana makes its bid to surpass Southern Miss in the Sun Belt West standings and goes for its third consecutive conference series sweep on Friday, November 4 when the two teams square off at 6:00 p.m. in inside Earl K. Long Gym.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be celebrating Senior Night and honoring the team's lone senior, Kelsey Bennett, in a pre-match ceremony.
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
USM
LA
Kills
59
55
Errors
29
19
Attempts
179
165
Hitting %
.168
.218
Points
71.0
68.0
Assists
57
54
Aces
8
4
Blocks
4.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
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