Home Opener Arrives as Louisiana Hosts Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team will be at Earl K. Long Gym from Friday-Saturday, September 2-3 for its official home opening weekend, hosting North Dakota State, UTRGV and UTSA in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic.

Louisiana (2-1) meets NDSU in the tournament opener at 9:00 a.m. on Friday (September 2) and closes out opening day with a 7:00 p.m. contest vs. UTRGV. The Ragin' Cajuns wrap up the event with UTSA at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday (September 3).

Admission is free for all tournament matches. Fans should park in the designated ParkMobile parking lots which can be found on the Volleyball Match Day Parking page.

For the complete tournament schedule visit the Tournament Central page at RaginCajuns.com/SawyerCamilloClassic.

The Ragin' Cajuns are also celebrating Alumni Weekend during the event, giving the program's alumni an opportunity to view in person the stunning interior renovations which have transformed E. K. Long Gym into one of the premier volleyball-specific venues in the country.

Friday's matches are being televised on ESPN+. Live stats for all matches can be found at CajunStats.com.

SERIES HISTORY
- North Dakota State: First Meeting
- UTRGV: Louisiana leads, 20-7 | Last match: L, 2-3 on 9/9/2021 in Edinburg, Texas
Streak: Lost 1
- UTSA: UTSA leads, 3-0 | Last match: L, 0-3 on 8/30/2008 in Houston, Texas
Streak: Lost 3

FULL SAWYER CAMILLO MEMORIAL CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday Schedule
9:00am - Louisiana vs. North Dakota State (ESPN+)
12:00pm - UTRGV vs. UTSA
4:00pm - UTSA vs. North Dakota State
7:00pm - Louisiana vs. UTRGV (ESPN+)

Saturday Schedule
9:00am - North Dakota State vs. UTRGV
12:00pm - Louisiana vs. UTSA

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

Open House: Louisiana makes its official home debut of the 2022 season hosting the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic at Earl K. Long Gym. It's the first regular season matches played inside the newly renovated E.K. Long, which now features a new Taraflex court.
Strength in Numbers: Louisiana's depth was on display in the MSU Spartan Invitational as a total of 12 different players competed in multiple sets.
Strength in Numbers (Part 2): Five different players registered at least 20 kills in East Lansing, led by Coco Gillett's 32 kills.
Barnes on the Block: It was a sensational season debut for Kara Barnes last weekend as she posted at least four blocks in each match at the MSU Spartan Invitational, totaling 19 blocks during the three-match event – a performance which earned her Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Chasing Milestones: Kelsey Bennett enters the home-opening weekend approaching 1,000 career kills and digs. She stands 32 kills and nine (9) digs away from accomplishing the milestones.

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
In a break from tournament play, the Ragin' Cajuns travel to College Station, Texas for a single match against Texas A&M on Friday, September 9 at 6:00 p.m. from Reed Area.

The following weekend the team will be in Fort Worth, Texas for matchups against Alabama and Abilene Christian in a TCU-hosted tournament from Friday-Saturday, September 16-17.

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 -

Home Opener Arrives as Louisiana Hosts Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kara Barnes

Kelsey Bennett

Celeste Darling

Paola Garcia

Coco Gillett

Paige Guidry

Lauryn Hill

Mya Wilson

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Home Opener Arrives as Louisiana Hosts Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kara Barnes

Kelsey Bennett

Celeste Darling

Paola Garcia

Coco Gillett

Paige Guidry

Lauryn Hill

Mya Wilson

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