University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, August 25
Starkville, Miss.
3:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
Northwestern State
Louisiana Travels to Starkville for First Assignment of 2023 Season
8/24/2023 4:51:00 PM | Volleyball
Three-day venture ushers in Year No. 3 of the Kristi Gray era
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team officially starts its 2023 season, the third season under the guidance of head coach Kristi Gray, from Friday-Sunday, August 25-27 competing in the StarkVegas Classic hosted by Mississippi State at the Newell-Grissom Building.
The Ragin' Cajuns (15-13, 8-8 Sun Belt in 2022) open the weekend facing Northwestern State in their season opener on Friday at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 2:00 p.m. matchup with Eastern Kentucky on Saturday and the tournament finale against Mississippi State at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Live stats for each match is available at CajunStats.com. The MSU matchup is being televised on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN.
Louisiana is beginning a series of three consecutive weeks on the road to start the season. The squad's home opener at Earl K. Long Gym is September 14-16 with the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic.
Entering the 48th season of competition in program history, Louisiana returns nine players from last season's squad including the vast majority of its offensive starters. The Ragin' Cajuns have eight newcomers on the 2023 roster, a group which features key defensive pieces.
Louisiana Volleyball at StarkVegas Classic
Friday-Sunday, Aug. 25-27 | Starkville, Miss. (Newell-Grissom Building)
Friday, Aug. 25 vs. Northwestern State // Starkville, Miss. // 3:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Twitter Updates
Saturday, Aug. 26 vs. Eastern Kentucky // Starkville, Miss. // 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Twitter Updates
Sunday, Aug. 27 vs. Mississippi State // Starkville, Miss. // 1:00 p.m
SECN+ | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
SERIES HISTORY
- Northwestern State: Louisiana leads, 16-14 | Last match: L, 2-3 on 8/30/2016 at E.K. Long Gym
Streak: NSU +2
- Eastern Kentucky: First Meeting
- Mississippi State: Mississippi State leads, 11-8 | Last match: L, 2-3 on 9/9/2017 in Houston, Texas @ Rice
Streak: MSU +4
HOMECOMING
= Louisiana's trip to Starkville marks a return home for associate head coach Jazmyne Johnson who
completed her collegiate playing career at Mississippi State from 2015-16 and earned her bachelor's degree
from MSU in December 2016.
= Johnson and the Ragin' Cajuns did appear in Newell-Grissom last season, facing MSU in an exhibition
contest on August 20, 2022.
SERVICE ACES
= Louisiana's roster features a near-even balance between returners (nine) and newcomers (eight).
= The Ragin' Cajuns experience lies at middle blocker and opposite hitter where all players in the team's rotation at both positions are back.
= Together, the middle blocker duo of Kara Barnes and Cami Hicks own a combined 504 career blocks and have started together the past three seasons.
= Cami Hicks, an All-Sun Belt selection in 2022, posted a career-high 107 blocks last season.
= Kara Barnes has hit .310-plus the past three seasons, tallying 150-plus kills each time. Barnes has also eclipsed 70 blocks each year during the streak.
= Third-year setter Siena DeCambra has started in Louisiana's 6-2 system each of the past two seasons, handing out 500-plus helpers both times.
= Entering her third season operating the Ragin' Cajuns offense, setter Siena DeCambra passed out 1,234 assists (5.9/set) while sharing duties in the 6-2 system the previous two seasons.
= All three of Louisiana's opposite hitters – Celeste Darling, Emery Judkins and Mya Wilson – produced 100-plus kills in the 2022 season.
= Lauryn Hill, who posted 109 kills in SBC play as a freshman in 2022, and San Francisco transfer Shyia Richardson, coming off back-to-back 200-kills seasons, are the frontrunners to take over as the Cajuns point producers at outside hitter.
= Two-time NJCAA All-American libero Mio Yamamoto highlights the newcomers. Yamamoto hauled in 796 digs as a freshman in 2021, then followed up with 904 digs (over 37 matches) in her final campaign with New Mexico Military Institute.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The season-opening road trip continues on Tuesday, August 29 when Louisiana travels to Houston to face off with preseason No. 23 Rice in a 6:00 p.m. match in Tudor Fieldhouse, followed by a trip to Lubbock, Texas for the Red Raider Classic hosted by Texas Tech from Friday-Saturday, September 1-2 for matches with Texas A&M-Commerce, Wyoming and Texas Tech.
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.
The Ragin' Cajuns (15-13, 8-8 Sun Belt in 2022) open the weekend facing Northwestern State in their season opener on Friday at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 2:00 p.m. matchup with Eastern Kentucky on Saturday and the tournament finale against Mississippi State at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Live stats for each match is available at CajunStats.com. The MSU matchup is being televised on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN.
Louisiana is beginning a series of three consecutive weeks on the road to start the season. The squad's home opener at Earl K. Long Gym is September 14-16 with the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic.
Entering the 48th season of competition in program history, Louisiana returns nine players from last season's squad including the vast majority of its offensive starters. The Ragin' Cajuns have eight newcomers on the 2023 roster, a group which features key defensive pieces.
Louisiana Volleyball at StarkVegas Classic
Friday-Sunday, Aug. 25-27 | Starkville, Miss. (Newell-Grissom Building)
Friday, Aug. 25 vs. Northwestern State // Starkville, Miss. // 3:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Twitter Updates
Saturday, Aug. 26 vs. Eastern Kentucky // Starkville, Miss. // 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Twitter Updates
Sunday, Aug. 27 vs. Mississippi State // Starkville, Miss. // 1:00 p.m
SECN+ | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
SERIES HISTORY
- Northwestern State: Louisiana leads, 16-14 | Last match: L, 2-3 on 8/30/2016 at E.K. Long Gym
Streak: NSU +2
- Eastern Kentucky: First Meeting
- Mississippi State: Mississippi State leads, 11-8 | Last match: L, 2-3 on 9/9/2017 in Houston, Texas @ Rice
Streak: MSU +4
HOMECOMING
= Louisiana's trip to Starkville marks a return home for associate head coach Jazmyne Johnson who
completed her collegiate playing career at Mississippi State from 2015-16 and earned her bachelor's degree
from MSU in December 2016.
= Johnson and the Ragin' Cajuns did appear in Newell-Grissom last season, facing MSU in an exhibition
contest on August 20, 2022.
SERVICE ACES
= Louisiana's roster features a near-even balance between returners (nine) and newcomers (eight).
= The Ragin' Cajuns experience lies at middle blocker and opposite hitter where all players in the team's rotation at both positions are back.
= Together, the middle blocker duo of Kara Barnes and Cami Hicks own a combined 504 career blocks and have started together the past three seasons.
= Cami Hicks, an All-Sun Belt selection in 2022, posted a career-high 107 blocks last season.
= Kara Barnes has hit .310-plus the past three seasons, tallying 150-plus kills each time. Barnes has also eclipsed 70 blocks each year during the streak.
= Third-year setter Siena DeCambra has started in Louisiana's 6-2 system each of the past two seasons, handing out 500-plus helpers both times.
= Entering her third season operating the Ragin' Cajuns offense, setter Siena DeCambra passed out 1,234 assists (5.9/set) while sharing duties in the 6-2 system the previous two seasons.
= All three of Louisiana's opposite hitters – Celeste Darling, Emery Judkins and Mya Wilson – produced 100-plus kills in the 2022 season.
= Lauryn Hill, who posted 109 kills in SBC play as a freshman in 2022, and San Francisco transfer Shyia Richardson, coming off back-to-back 200-kills seasons, are the frontrunners to take over as the Cajuns point producers at outside hitter.
= Two-time NJCAA All-American libero Mio Yamamoto highlights the newcomers. Yamamoto hauled in 796 digs as a freshman in 2021, then followed up with 904 digs (over 37 matches) in her final campaign with New Mexico Military Institute.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The season-opening road trip continues on Tuesday, August 29 when Louisiana travels to Houston to face off with preseason No. 23 Rice in a 6:00 p.m. match in Tudor Fieldhouse, followed by a trip to Lubbock, Texas for the Red Raider Classic hosted by Texas Tech from Friday-Saturday, September 1-2 for matches with Texas A&M-Commerce, Wyoming and Texas Tech.
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 -
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
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/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
L
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