Louisiana Volleyball Launches First-Ever Postseason Appearance in NIVC

EDINBURG, Texas – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team steps onto the court for the first time in a national postseason event - and in the month of December - in program history on Friday, December 2 facing South Dakota State in Round 1 of the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) tournament at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, Texas.

First serve between the Ragin' Cajuns (15-12) and Jackrabbits (17-14), part of the UTRGV Regional, is set for 4:00 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Fans traveling can purchase tickets at UTRGVTickets.com. Every match in the UTRV Regional is being streamed on ESPN+.

The NIVC appearance marks the first time in Louisiana's 47-year history (1976-present) that the Ragin' Cajuns are competing in a national postseason tournament and playing on into the month of December.

Louisiana and SDSU are joined in Edinburg by UTRGV and Houston Christian, who meet at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, in the battle for the right to advance to Round 3 of the single-elimination event.

The winner of the two Friday matches will face one another on Saturday, December 3 at 2:00 p.m. for the right to advance to the third round in the single-elimination event.

The Ragin' Cajuns last action came in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Foley, Alabama, advancing to the quarterfinal round before bowing out to runner-up Texas State. While in Foley, Louisiana returned to full strength by regaining the services of 1,100- plus career kills and digs performer Kelsey Bennett who returned to the court.

Louisiana heads into the NIVC with a 15-12 record, the second consecutive season guaranteed to have a winning mark under Kristi Gray's guidance. Coco Gillett, who has recorded a double-double in eight consecutive matches, leads the team in total kills (213) and total digs (350).

SDSU, which finished fifth in the Summit League, is led by all-conference performers Crystal Burk and Masa Scheierman. Burk ranks Top 5 nationally in total kills (553). Like the Ragin' Cajuns, the Jackrabbits finished the regular season strong by posting a seven-match win streak – the program's longest win streak since 2007.

NIVC ROUND 1 & 2 MATCHUPS - UTRGV REGIONAL
Friday, Dec. 2
Louisiana vs. South Dakota State // Edinburg, Texas // 4:00 p.m.
UTRGV vs. Houston Christian // Edinburg, Texas // 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 3
LA-SDSU winner vs. UTRGV-HCU winner // Edinburg, Texas // 2:00 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: ESPN+
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Stats: goUTRGV.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsVB

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

Legacy Defined: The 2022 Ragin' Cajuns squad will be the first in program history to take the court to compete in the month of December.
Comfortable Surroundings: The Ragin' Cajuns won their first five matches on a neutral court this season and enter the NIVC opener vs. South Dakota State with a 5-1 record in neutral site matches.
Meet You at the Net: Key to Louisiana's defense is blocking, the team averaging above two blocks per set (2.3). The squad ranks Top 100 nationally and enters the NIVC having out-blocked foes by a 244.0-195.0 count. Leading the charge is Cami Hicks who has posted a career-best 103 blocks, averaging 1.03 per set.
In the Zone: Coco Gillett carries an active streak of eight consecutive double-doubles into the NIVC. Gillett's streak dates back to October 28 at ULM.
Right on Time: Louisiana has received valuable contributions on the right side from Celeste Darling down the stretch, as she has generated double-figure kills in six of the last eight matches from the right side hitter's slot. In the stretch, she's totaled 83 kills (2.4/set) and is hitting .234.

ALL-SUN BELT HARDWARE
- Middle blocker Cami Hicks earned second team honors on the 2022 All-Sun Belt Conference Volleyball team which was released by the league office on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
- Hicks, who ranked Top 5 in the Sun Belt in blocks both overall and in conference play during the 2022 regular season, has recorded a personal single-season best of 94 blocks (1.03 per set) – her second straight season with 80-plus blocks.
- Hicks is the third All-Sun Belt performer of the Kristi Gray era, joining 2021 honorees Kelsey Bennett and Coco Gillett. She picked up the first all-conference award of her collegiate career.

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.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Should Louisiana record a win over South Dakota State and claim the subsequent matchup of Friday's two winning teams, the Ragin' Cajuns would advance to Round 3 of the NIVC which is scheduled for December 6-8 to face the winner of the Wake Forest Regional (Wake Forest, Coppin State, Davidson or North Dakota State).

The semifinals will be held December 8-11, and the championship match will be played December 12 or 13.

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 -

Louisiana Volleyball Launches First-Ever Postseason Appearance in NIVC

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bennett

Celeste Darling

Paola Garcia

Coco Gillett

Paige Guidry

Cami Hicks

Lauryn Hill

Mya Wilson

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Volleyball Launches First-Ever Postseason Appearance in NIVC

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bennett

Celeste Darling

Paola Garcia

Coco Gillett

Paige Guidry

Cami Hicks

Lauryn Hill

Mya Wilson

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