University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, October 20
Norfolk, Va.
5:30 p.m. (CDT)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
13-11, 4-6SBC
3
at
1
Old Dominion
10-14, 2-8SBC
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
25
25
23
25
3
Old Dominion
18
21
25
16
1
Louisiana Delivers Emphatic Bounce-Back Performance in Norfolk
10/20/2023 9:54:00 PM | Volleyball
Ragin’ Cajuns outshined Old Dominion in nearly every aspect to gain series split
NORFOLK, Va. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team overwhelmed Old Dominion both offensively and defensively to claim the rematch in the Sun Belt Conference series at the ODU Volleyball on Friday, October 20, capturing a 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16) win.
Starting with a 19-kill performance on .515 hitting in the first set, the Ragin' Cajuns (13-11, 4-6 Sun Belt) finished the match with a resounding 60-39 advantage in kills. Spearheading the charge was the trio of Celeste Darling, Shyia Richardson and Lauryn Hill who combined for 44 of the scores.
Even more impressive was Louisiana's dominance in the digs department, outpacing the host-Monarchs (10-14, 2-8 Sun Belt) by an enormous 69-42 margin. Those efforts, led by a combined 42 scoops from Mio Yamamoto and setter Siena DeCambra, allowed UL to hold the ODU offense in check the entire night.
The Cajuns were able to flip the script on the Monarchs at the service line. A night after ODU controlled the pace of play with its serve, Louisiana took its turn serving up 12 aces and getting a key 12-0 serving run out of DeCambra to start Set 2 which put the contest on lockdown.
Louisiana won an offensive shootout to start the match, then revved up the defense the rest of the way as the highest ODU hit in any of the final three stanzas was .108.
The Ragin' Cajuns snapped a three-match losing streak and collected their 10th victory of the season away from E.K. Long Gym (now 10-7 combined in road/neutral site matches).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set went back-and-forth to start before the Cajuns made the first move when three kills from Darling sparked a 4-0 run for an 11-9 advantage – and UL wouldn't trail again until the third set. The opening-set triumph was cemented after back-to-back Richardson kills and a pair of DeCambra aces made it 22-15.
With DeCambra's 12-point serving run to start the second set and seven kills off of 13 error free swings the Ragin' Cajuns built a 14-2 lead and were well on the way to a commanding match lead. The Monarchs battled back within four points, at 20-16, but Richardson used perfect touch and court awareness to notch a crucial side out.
ODU overcame a 10-4 deficit in Set 3 and the ability to collect a side out every time Louisiana closed within a point, starting at 17-16, allowed the Monarchs to extend the match.
The lead swapped hands early in Set 4 with UL making the final move. Trailing 9-8, Mya Wilson scored off the slide to start a 4-0 run that was capped off by a Yamamoto ace. After ODU trimmed the lead to 12-11 the Cajuns rattled off 10 unanswered points, sprinkled with three Richardson kills and a pair of DeCambra aces, to set in motion the final result.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Darling led Louisiana in kills a second straight night, this time firing off a season-and Sun Belt play-high 18 kills. It was her 10th double-digit kill performance overall and it pushed her season kills total to 222 which is a new personal single-season best figure.
Richardson landed 14 kills – nine scores as UL built a 2-0 match lead – to increase her season total to 281 inching her closer to the first-ever 300-kill campaign of her collegiate career. It was her fifth double-digit effort in the past seven SBC matches.
In her first extended action since returning from injury, Hill produced 12 kills. Like Richardson, she accounted for nine scores over the first two sets.
DeCambra delivered perhaps her finest performance as a Ragin' Cajun: a double-double of 47 assists and a career-high 20 digs to go along with a career-high six aces.
Yamamoto rounded up 22 digs as she hit the 20-mark for the third time in the past five matches. It was her eighth consecutive SBC match with double-digit digs.
Louisiana posted nine blocks led by six stuffs from Darling, five from Wilson and four from Hicks. Darling matched her career-high total set just last Saturday (Oct. 14) vs. South Alabama.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana closes out the month of October hosting in-state Sun Belt Conference foe ULM from Friday-Saturday, October 27-28 at E.K. Long Gym.
The Cajuns and Warhawks are scheduled to face off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 27) and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 28).
The series opener is Faculty Appreciation Night highlighted by a teacher prize pack raffle while the Saturday contest is designated as the Louisiana Salutes match including a military veteran's recognition.
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.
Starting with a 19-kill performance on .515 hitting in the first set, the Ragin' Cajuns (13-11, 4-6 Sun Belt) finished the match with a resounding 60-39 advantage in kills. Spearheading the charge was the trio of Celeste Darling, Shyia Richardson and Lauryn Hill who combined for 44 of the scores.
Even more impressive was Louisiana's dominance in the digs department, outpacing the host-Monarchs (10-14, 2-8 Sun Belt) by an enormous 69-42 margin. Those efforts, led by a combined 42 scoops from Mio Yamamoto and setter Siena DeCambra, allowed UL to hold the ODU offense in check the entire night.
The Cajuns were able to flip the script on the Monarchs at the service line. A night after ODU controlled the pace of play with its serve, Louisiana took its turn serving up 12 aces and getting a key 12-0 serving run out of DeCambra to start Set 2 which put the contest on lockdown.
Louisiana won an offensive shootout to start the match, then revved up the defense the rest of the way as the highest ODU hit in any of the final three stanzas was .108.
The Ragin' Cajuns snapped a three-match losing streak and collected their 10th victory of the season away from E.K. Long Gym (now 10-7 combined in road/neutral site matches).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set went back-and-forth to start before the Cajuns made the first move when three kills from Darling sparked a 4-0 run for an 11-9 advantage – and UL wouldn't trail again until the third set. The opening-set triumph was cemented after back-to-back Richardson kills and a pair of DeCambra aces made it 22-15.
With DeCambra's 12-point serving run to start the second set and seven kills off of 13 error free swings the Ragin' Cajuns built a 14-2 lead and were well on the way to a commanding match lead. The Monarchs battled back within four points, at 20-16, but Richardson used perfect touch and court awareness to notch a crucial side out.
ODU overcame a 10-4 deficit in Set 3 and the ability to collect a side out every time Louisiana closed within a point, starting at 17-16, allowed the Monarchs to extend the match.
The lead swapped hands early in Set 4 with UL making the final move. Trailing 9-8, Mya Wilson scored off the slide to start a 4-0 run that was capped off by a Yamamoto ace. After ODU trimmed the lead to 12-11 the Cajuns rattled off 10 unanswered points, sprinkled with three Richardson kills and a pair of DeCambra aces, to set in motion the final result.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Darling led Louisiana in kills a second straight night, this time firing off a season-and Sun Belt play-high 18 kills. It was her 10th double-digit kill performance overall and it pushed her season kills total to 222 which is a new personal single-season best figure.
Richardson landed 14 kills – nine scores as UL built a 2-0 match lead – to increase her season total to 281 inching her closer to the first-ever 300-kill campaign of her collegiate career. It was her fifth double-digit effort in the past seven SBC matches.
In her first extended action since returning from injury, Hill produced 12 kills. Like Richardson, she accounted for nine scores over the first two sets.
DeCambra delivered perhaps her finest performance as a Ragin' Cajun: a double-double of 47 assists and a career-high 20 digs to go along with a career-high six aces.
Yamamoto rounded up 22 digs as she hit the 20-mark for the third time in the past five matches. It was her eighth consecutive SBC match with double-digit digs.
Louisiana posted nine blocks led by six stuffs from Darling, five from Wilson and four from Hicks. Darling matched her career-high total set just last Saturday (Oct. 14) vs. South Alabama.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana closes out the month of October hosting in-state Sun Belt Conference foe ULM from Friday-Saturday, October 27-28 at E.K. Long Gym.
The Cajuns and Warhawks are scheduled to face off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 27) and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 28).
The series opener is Faculty Appreciation Night highlighted by a teacher prize pack raffle while the Saturday contest is designated as the Louisiana Salutes match including a military veteran's recognition.
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
UL
ODU
Kills
60
39
Errors
31
23
Attempts
151
142
Hitting %
.192
.113
Points
81.0
55.0
Assists
59
38
Aces
12
5
Blocks
9.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
L
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