University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, November 11
Lafayette
12:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
18-12, 9-7SBC
3
vs
2
App State
13-14, 4-12SBC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App State | 25 | 16 | 16 | 25 | 8 | 2 |
| Louisiana | 12 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 15 | 3 |
Senior-Driven Cajuns Come Away Victorious in Home Finale
11/11/2023 3:36:00 PM | Volleyball
Louisiana receives contributions from entire senior class, claims sixth win in last seven outings
LAFAYETTE – Charged by nine kills on a .350 hitting percentage in the winner-take-all fifth set, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team placed the exclamation point on a 3-2 (12-25, 25-16, 25-16, 16-25, 15-8) win that completed the Senior Weekend series sweep of App State on Saturday, November 11 at E.K. Long Gym.
Junior Shyia Richardson and sophomore Lauryn Hill scored three kills apiece to carry the load in Set 5 and ensure that the Ragin' Cajuns (18-12, 9-7 Sun Belt) would send the 2023 senior class off with a win in their final match at home.
It was the senior group which carried Louisiana to the final stretch run of the afternoon, leaving the ending a perfect fit to a perfect weekend.
The senior class performances included Celeste Darling finishing with 14 kills, Kara Barnes powered down 11 kills of her own, Mya Wilson scored seven kills and posted six blocks and Emery Judkins totaled seven kills – the bulk of the production recorded during the lead-up to the match-deciding set.
In a contest where all sets were runaway decisions, it was UL landing one at the critical juncture. Sparked by a Richardson kill, two scores from Hill and an ace from Chelsea George the Cajuns sprinted out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set and never looked back in putting away the Mountaineers (13-14, 4-12 Sun Belt).
Louisiana now heads toward the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, set for November 15-19 in Foley, Alabama, having won six of its last seven matches.
The Ragin' Cajuns extended their new benchmark for wins in the Kristi Gray era and concluded the fall 2023 campaign with a four-match home court win streak at E.K. Long.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The pathway to a 2-all deadlock in the match was directly related to when the Cajuns offense was high-error.
App State got on the board first scoring 12 kills off 22 swings and hitting .500 in Set 1. The Mountaineers also benefitted from UL committing seven attack errors and hitting .033.
After the opening frame setback, the Cajuns turned to Hill and Barnes on offense, the duo combining for 16 kills over the next two sets, and Wilson defensively who posted four blocks during the back-to-back set victories that provided the hosts with an advantage.
The Mountaineers found a groove offensively once again in Set 4, notching 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage and were the beneficiary of nine Cajuns attack errors in extending the match.
The Richardson-Hill led quick start for Set 5 was challenged by App State after a block sliced the UL lead to 6-4. In stepped the senior Darling for a kill that end a 3-0 Mountaineers run and Hill followed by taking care of an overpass to extend the lead to 8-4.
App State picked up a side out, but a senior stepped in once again to dash the visitors' hopes as Barnes slammed home a middle kill and Richardson followed with a kill to up the lead to 10-5.
The final dagger came moments later, when after a Mountaineers service error Wilson and Siena DeCambra combined for a block and Richardson fired off her third and final kill of the fifth set to put the Cajuns up 13-6.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Hill paced the Cajuns attack with her Sun Belt-play best and season-high tying total of 15 kills. She tacked on 12 digs for her third double-double in the past four weeks.
The senior class accounted for 39 of Louisiana's 58 kills (67 percent) and were the next-line kills leaders: Darling (14), Barnes (11), Wilson (7) and Judkins (7).
With her match-high six blocks, Wilson pushed her collegiate career total over 300. She was in on all six of the Cajuns blocks in tying her Sun Belt-play high mark, posting five-plus for the fifth time this season and extending her personal single-season best blocks total to 76 (5 BS, 71 BA).
With 48 assists and 10 digs, DeCambra notched at least one double-double for the seventh straight weekend.
Libero Mio Yamamoto claimed match-high honors in digs a second straight day, total 17 digs which increased her conference play total to a Sun Belt-best 296 digs.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana travels to Foley, Alabama to compete in the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament from Thursday-Sunday, November 16-19 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
The Ragin' Cajuns official seed for the event, as well as the time for the squad's opening match on Thursday, will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 11 following the conclusion of regular season play.
The Sun Belt's postseason event is back in Foley for the fourth straight season. All 14 teams are competing for the league's automatic bid with every match broadcast live via ESPN+.
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.
Junior Shyia Richardson and sophomore Lauryn Hill scored three kills apiece to carry the load in Set 5 and ensure that the Ragin' Cajuns (18-12, 9-7 Sun Belt) would send the 2023 senior class off with a win in their final match at home.
It was the senior group which carried Louisiana to the final stretch run of the afternoon, leaving the ending a perfect fit to a perfect weekend.
The senior class performances included Celeste Darling finishing with 14 kills, Kara Barnes powered down 11 kills of her own, Mya Wilson scored seven kills and posted six blocks and Emery Judkins totaled seven kills – the bulk of the production recorded during the lead-up to the match-deciding set.
In a contest where all sets were runaway decisions, it was UL landing one at the critical juncture. Sparked by a Richardson kill, two scores from Hill and an ace from Chelsea George the Cajuns sprinted out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set and never looked back in putting away the Mountaineers (13-14, 4-12 Sun Belt).
Louisiana now heads toward the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, set for November 15-19 in Foley, Alabama, having won six of its last seven matches.
The Ragin' Cajuns extended their new benchmark for wins in the Kristi Gray era and concluded the fall 2023 campaign with a four-match home court win streak at E.K. Long.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The pathway to a 2-all deadlock in the match was directly related to when the Cajuns offense was high-error.
App State got on the board first scoring 12 kills off 22 swings and hitting .500 in Set 1. The Mountaineers also benefitted from UL committing seven attack errors and hitting .033.
After the opening frame setback, the Cajuns turned to Hill and Barnes on offense, the duo combining for 16 kills over the next two sets, and Wilson defensively who posted four blocks during the back-to-back set victories that provided the hosts with an advantage.
The Mountaineers found a groove offensively once again in Set 4, notching 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage and were the beneficiary of nine Cajuns attack errors in extending the match.
The Richardson-Hill led quick start for Set 5 was challenged by App State after a block sliced the UL lead to 6-4. In stepped the senior Darling for a kill that end a 3-0 Mountaineers run and Hill followed by taking care of an overpass to extend the lead to 8-4.
App State picked up a side out, but a senior stepped in once again to dash the visitors' hopes as Barnes slammed home a middle kill and Richardson followed with a kill to up the lead to 10-5.
The final dagger came moments later, when after a Mountaineers service error Wilson and Siena DeCambra combined for a block and Richardson fired off her third and final kill of the fifth set to put the Cajuns up 13-6.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Hill paced the Cajuns attack with her Sun Belt-play best and season-high tying total of 15 kills. She tacked on 12 digs for her third double-double in the past four weeks.
The senior class accounted for 39 of Louisiana's 58 kills (67 percent) and were the next-line kills leaders: Darling (14), Barnes (11), Wilson (7) and Judkins (7).
With her match-high six blocks, Wilson pushed her collegiate career total over 300. She was in on all six of the Cajuns blocks in tying her Sun Belt-play high mark, posting five-plus for the fifth time this season and extending her personal single-season best blocks total to 76 (5 BS, 71 BA).
With 48 assists and 10 digs, DeCambra notched at least one double-double for the seventh straight weekend.
Libero Mio Yamamoto claimed match-high honors in digs a second straight day, total 17 digs which increased her conference play total to a Sun Belt-best 296 digs.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana travels to Foley, Alabama to compete in the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament from Thursday-Sunday, November 16-19 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
The Ragin' Cajuns official seed for the event, as well as the time for the squad's opening match on Thursday, will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 11 following the conclusion of regular season play.
The Sun Belt's postseason event is back in Foley for the fourth straight season. All 14 teams are competing for the league's automatic bid with every match broadcast live via ESPN+.
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
APP
UL
Kills
50
58
Errors
14
24
Attempts
127
146
Hitting %
.283
.233
Points
65.0
68.0
Assists
47
55
Aces
6
4
Blocks
9.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
L
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