University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, November 16
Foley, Ala.
1:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
19-12
3
vs
0
Old Dominion
14-17
1
2
3
F
Old Dominion
14
16
25
0
Louisiana
25
25
27
3
Cajuns Cruise Past Monarchs, Advance to Sun Belt Quarterfinals
11/16/2023 6:31:00 PM | Volleyball
Louisiana uses fast offense to run away from Old Dominion in SBC Tournament opener
FOLEY, Ala. – With a dominating start and emphatic finish the Louisiana Volleyball team made quick work of Old Dominion on Thursday, November 16 at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Foley, Alabama, a 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 27-25) win advancing the Cajuns to Friday's quarterfinal round at the Foley Events Center.
Louisiana (19-12) was locked in from the start both offensively and defensively. The Cajuns pounded out 29 kills off 63 swings on .317 hitting – rolling out the gate with .429 hitting in Set 1 – and held ODU to a negative percentage (-.015) over 66 swings and only 13 kills over the first two sets combined, the efforts leading to a commanding 2-0 match lead.
ODU (14-17) attempted to deny the Cajuns their straight sets sweep, but saw a 22-16 lead in Set 3 evaporate when UL unleashed a furious 11-3 match-ending run to avoid extenuating circumstances.
Thursday's win was the seventh in the last eight matches for the Ragin' Cajuns who will look to keep the momentum going in a matchup with SBC East No. 1 seed and overall regular season champion Coastal Carolina (19-9) in the 1:30 p.m. quarterfinal match on Friday, November 17.
UL wound up with 22 kills in the final stanza to fend off the Monarchs' best effort of the contest, adding to the extremely wide 51-28 margin the Cajuns enjoyed in the kills department for the match.
Spearheading the charge for Ragin' Cajuns as they moved on into the SBC quarterfinals for the third straight season was the trio that included outside hitters Shyia Richardson and Lauryn Hill plus opposite hitter Celeste Darling which combined for 43 of the team's 51 kills.
The Cajuns claimed a SBC Tournament victory for the third time in as many trips with head coach Kristi Gray and collected a straight sets sweep in the event for the first time since 2021 (Nov. 18, 2021 vs. App State).
HOW IT HAPPENED
UL wasted little time taking control, the defense forcing ODU into four miscues in a 5-1 start to the match. The opening set was later locked up three kills from Hill and a combo block from Darling and Cami Hicks fueled a 6-2 run that opened a 12-6 lead.
Back-to-back kills from Darling and Richardson after a Monarchs attack error extended the advantage to 16-7 and the Cajuns methodically pulled away.
Hill, Darling, Hicks and Richardson scored kills in succession as the Cajuns quickly built a 5-1 lead in Set 2. ODU railed and remained within a point until Hill and Hicks scored kills around a Myah Conway attack error to open a 12-8 lead.
The Cajuns gained breathing room out of the media timeout as a Mio Yamamoto ace was followed by kills from Hill and Richardson for an 18-10 edge. A 5-1 mini-run by ODU was squelched when Richardson fired off a kill for a critical side out and the Monarchs misfired on the next rally.
With a 7-1 run out of the media timeout the Monarchs were leading 20-14 in Set 3 and poised to extend the match. Moments later the Cajuns staged a comeback that flipped the momentum, Darling firing off three straight kills that began an 8-0 run that lifted Louisiana ahead 24-22.
ODU scored the next three points for an early advantage in extra points. Louisiana answered with three of its own to end the match – Richardson with a kill to fend off set point, then back-to-back tallies from Darling to capture match point.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Darling's 18 kills, the 13 kills from Richardson and the 12 kills off 18 highly effective swings from Hill provided the bulk of the heavy lifting for Louisiana's offense.
Darling's season-high tying production (also scored 18 kills on Oct. 20 at ODU) came on just 33 swings with a .424 hitting percentage. The senior opposite hitter enters Friday's quarterfinal round just five kills shy of the first 300-kills season of her collegiate career.
Hill committed only one attack error and finished with a sparkling .611 hitting percentage. Richardson added 11 digs to her stat line for her 11th double-double and fourth in the last five outings.
Yamamoto scooped a match-leading 21 digs, Darling and Hicks both had a hand in four blocks and setter Siena DeCambra recorded a 36-assist, 12-dig double-double.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana takes aim at a semifinals berth in the Sun Belt Tournament on Friday, November 17 meeting SBC East No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina (19-9) at 1:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round at the Foley Events Center.
The Ragin' Cajuns-Chanticleers bout is set to air on ESPN+. Fans can track the match with live stats on CajunStats.com or through Twitter updates from @RaginCajunsVB.
Tickets are sold on a daily basis and are $10 per day for adults and $5 per day for children ages 12 and under. Students of Sun Belt Conference institutions are admitted free with a valid student ID.
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.
Louisiana (19-12) was locked in from the start both offensively and defensively. The Cajuns pounded out 29 kills off 63 swings on .317 hitting – rolling out the gate with .429 hitting in Set 1 – and held ODU to a negative percentage (-.015) over 66 swings and only 13 kills over the first two sets combined, the efforts leading to a commanding 2-0 match lead.
ODU (14-17) attempted to deny the Cajuns their straight sets sweep, but saw a 22-16 lead in Set 3 evaporate when UL unleashed a furious 11-3 match-ending run to avoid extenuating circumstances.
Thursday's win was the seventh in the last eight matches for the Ragin' Cajuns who will look to keep the momentum going in a matchup with SBC East No. 1 seed and overall regular season champion Coastal Carolina (19-9) in the 1:30 p.m. quarterfinal match on Friday, November 17.
UL wound up with 22 kills in the final stanza to fend off the Monarchs' best effort of the contest, adding to the extremely wide 51-28 margin the Cajuns enjoyed in the kills department for the match.
Spearheading the charge for Ragin' Cajuns as they moved on into the SBC quarterfinals for the third straight season was the trio that included outside hitters Shyia Richardson and Lauryn Hill plus opposite hitter Celeste Darling which combined for 43 of the team's 51 kills.
The Cajuns claimed a SBC Tournament victory for the third time in as many trips with head coach Kristi Gray and collected a straight sets sweep in the event for the first time since 2021 (Nov. 18, 2021 vs. App State).
HOW IT HAPPENED
UL wasted little time taking control, the defense forcing ODU into four miscues in a 5-1 start to the match. The opening set was later locked up three kills from Hill and a combo block from Darling and Cami Hicks fueled a 6-2 run that opened a 12-6 lead.
Back-to-back kills from Darling and Richardson after a Monarchs attack error extended the advantage to 16-7 and the Cajuns methodically pulled away.
Hill, Darling, Hicks and Richardson scored kills in succession as the Cajuns quickly built a 5-1 lead in Set 2. ODU railed and remained within a point until Hill and Hicks scored kills around a Myah Conway attack error to open a 12-8 lead.
The Cajuns gained breathing room out of the media timeout as a Mio Yamamoto ace was followed by kills from Hill and Richardson for an 18-10 edge. A 5-1 mini-run by ODU was squelched when Richardson fired off a kill for a critical side out and the Monarchs misfired on the next rally.
With a 7-1 run out of the media timeout the Monarchs were leading 20-14 in Set 3 and poised to extend the match. Moments later the Cajuns staged a comeback that flipped the momentum, Darling firing off three straight kills that began an 8-0 run that lifted Louisiana ahead 24-22.
ODU scored the next three points for an early advantage in extra points. Louisiana answered with three of its own to end the match – Richardson with a kill to fend off set point, then back-to-back tallies from Darling to capture match point.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Darling's 18 kills, the 13 kills from Richardson and the 12 kills off 18 highly effective swings from Hill provided the bulk of the heavy lifting for Louisiana's offense.
Darling's season-high tying production (also scored 18 kills on Oct. 20 at ODU) came on just 33 swings with a .424 hitting percentage. The senior opposite hitter enters Friday's quarterfinal round just five kills shy of the first 300-kills season of her collegiate career.
Hill committed only one attack error and finished with a sparkling .611 hitting percentage. Richardson added 11 digs to her stat line for her 11th double-double and fourth in the last five outings.
Yamamoto scooped a match-leading 21 digs, Darling and Hicks both had a hand in four blocks and setter Siena DeCambra recorded a 36-assist, 12-dig double-double.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana takes aim at a semifinals berth in the Sun Belt Tournament on Friday, November 17 meeting SBC East No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina (19-9) at 1:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round at the Foley Events Center.
The Ragin' Cajuns-Chanticleers bout is set to air on ESPN+. Fans can track the match with live stats on CajunStats.com or through Twitter updates from @RaginCajunsVB.
Tickets are sold on a daily basis and are $10 per day for adults and $5 per day for children ages 12 and under. Students of Sun Belt Conference institutions are admitted free with a valid student ID.
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
ODU
UL
Kills
28
51
Errors
17
17
Attempts
105
117
Hitting %
.105
.291
Points
38.0
60.0
Assists
25
46
Aces
3
4
Blocks
7.0
5.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L
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