University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Thursday, October 19
Norfolk, Va.
5:30 p.m. (CDT)

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

12-11, 3-6SBC

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Old Dominion

10-13, 2-7SBC

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Louisiana
21
19
25
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Old Dominion
25
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VB Mio Yamamoto Digs vs. South Alabama 10.14.23

Cajuns Fall Short in Twist-Filled Match in Norfolk

10/19/2023 10:33:00 PM | Volleyball

Louisiana unable to overcome two-set deficit in series opener at ODU

NORFOLK, Va. – On a night where key runs flipped the momentum in every set played it was Old Dominion with the upper hand as the host-Monarchs came away with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18) win over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team on Thursday, October 19 at the ODU Volleyball Center.
 
ODU (10-13, 2-7 Sun Belt) reversed course in the opening set when a 7-1 run dug the Monarchs out of a 12-8 deficit, then went on to grab a 2-0 match lead when a 7-0 run early in Set 2 gave them the lead for good.
 
UL (12-11, 3-6 Sun Belt) stormed back from an 11-6 deficit in Set 3, using a 13-3 run to overcome the Monarchs and extend the match. ODU, though, avoided a fifth set when a crucial 6-0 run broke open and back-and-forth start to Set 4.
 
The difference in an evenly played contest offense-wise, with ODU holding a slim 52-49 edge in kills, was the performance of the Monarchs from the service line and defensively at the net. ODU held an 11-5 advantage in aces and out-blocked the Ragin' Cajuns 11.0-4.0.
 
Louisiana was dealt a third consecutive loss while Old Dominion snapped a seven-match losing streak.
 
Thursday's match marked the first meeting between the two programs at the ODU Volleyball Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Behind three early kills from Kara Barnes the Ragin' Cajuns built the 12-8 advantage in Set 1. Sparked by a pair of blocks and three aces the Monarchs rattled off the 7-1 run which changed the momentum. The Cajuns forced ties of 15-all and 17-all only to have ODU come back with two-point spurts each time, the latter back-to-back kills from Myah Conway to claim the lead for good.
 
An ace from Cami Hicks early in Set 2 allowed UL to keep separation up 4-2. However, the Monarchs rolled off seven unanswered points finished off by capitalizing on four straight Cajuns miscues to stretch the lead to 9-4.
 
Shyia Richardson scored a pair of kills to keep UL within striking distance in Set 3 before she took over at the service line and finished off the 8-0 run that pulled the Cajuns ahead 19-14. Hicks helped preserve the set victory when she came up with a critical block solo after the Monarchs had trimmed the lead to 21-19.
 
The Monarchs scored 14 kills off only 21 swings, hitting .524, to close out the match in Set 4.
 
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Celeste Darling tied her Sun Belt-play high with 14 kills to pace the Ragin' Cajuns offense. Richardson joined her in double figures with 10 kills.
 
Barnes produced eight kills off of 12 error-free swings (.667 hitting) and turned in two blocks. Hicks also tallied eight kills and joined Emery Judkins in posting a block solo.
 
Louisiana out-dug ODU 41-38 led by the match-high tying 12 digs from Mio Yamamoto. She also handed out nine assists and served up an ace.
 
Setter Siena DeCambra assisted on 35 of the Cajuns' 47 kills and posted three kills, eight digs and a block.
 
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana returns to the ODU Volleyball Center on Friday, October 20 for a rematch with Old Dominion and will look to gain a split in the two-match Sun Belt Conference series.
 
First serve for the series finale between the Ragin' Cajuns and Monarchs is set for 5:30 p.m. (CDT).
 
A live stream of the contest is available on ESPN+ while live stats can be accessed through the volleyball schedule page at RaginCajuns.com.
 
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.
 
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