University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, September 8
Jacksonville, Fla.
6:30 p.m. (CDT)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
5-5
2
at
3
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North Florida
4-4
1
2
3
4
5
F
Louisiana
18
20
25
25
12
2
North Florida
25
25
21
23
15
3
Louisiana Rallies and Pushes North Florida to Five Sets
9/8/2023 10:22:00 PM | Volleyball
Ragin’ Cajuns fall short in attempt at reverse sweep
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a match filled with twists and turns it was North Florida making the final move to fend off the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team and post a 3-2 (25-18, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25, 15-12) win on Friday, September 8 in the UNF Invitational.
The last of 28 ties and 16 lead changes in the match pulled UNF out of a 10-9 deficit in the winner-take-all fifth set. Back-to-back kills gave the Ospreys (4-4) the lead for good, then the final outcome was clinched when a Janelly Ceopa ace followed by a combo block advanced the lead to 14-10.
The late reversal turned away the Ragin' Cajuns (5-5) who had earlier used the combination of kills from Mya Wilson and Lauryn Hill to forge ahead 7-3.
The UNF block was advantageous in the final frame, the hosts throwing up four total down the stretch for the bulk of the seven attack errors Louisiana committed during the race to 15.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Louisiana stormed back from a two-set deficit with increased efficiency, firing off 33 kills on a .355 hitting percentage to extend the match and back UNF into a corner. UL enjoyed high-level success with the slide play, particularly from Wilson and Kara Barnes.
Four Cajuns reached double digits in kills led by Hill's 15. Celeste Darling fired off 13 kills while Wilson and Barnes combined for 20 kills, scoring 10 apiece, the majority on the nearly unstoppable slide play.
UNF countered with four players with double-digit kills led by Amy Burkhardt's 16 and finished with the match-edge in team kills at 68-59. The Osprey's point-scoring advantage extended to the service line where they doubled up the Cajuns in aces (12-6).
Louisiana freshman Kennedy Gustafson hauled in a match-high 22 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNF scored eight kills off its first 13 swings of the contest, racing out to a 10-3 lead before landing the Set 1 triumph. In Set 2, a 6-1 run pulled the Ospreys ahead 15-13 by the media timeout then after the break ample distance was created when a pair of Kailey McKnight aces extended the lead to 18-14.
The ebb-and-flow of the match was on full display during the Cajuns rally to evening the match.
Barnes delivered a pair of crushing kills late in Set 3 to help UL fight off the sweep, the latter providing a lead – at 21-20 – that stood.
Despite a four-point run that put UNF up 20-19 in Set 4, the Cajuns once again would not be denied as back-to-back kills by Darling followed and flipped the lead for seventh and final time in the frame. Later a middle-kill from Hicks increased the lead to 23-20 before Darling went cross court for set point to take the match the distance.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana concludes play in the UNF Invitational and plays the final match of its season-opening, 11-match road stretch on Saturday, September 9. The Ragin' Cajuns are scheduled to meet Texas Southern at 9:00 a.m. (CDT) from the UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
A live broadcast of the match is available on ESPN+ and live stats can be accessed on 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.
The last of 28 ties and 16 lead changes in the match pulled UNF out of a 10-9 deficit in the winner-take-all fifth set. Back-to-back kills gave the Ospreys (4-4) the lead for good, then the final outcome was clinched when a Janelly Ceopa ace followed by a combo block advanced the lead to 14-10.
The late reversal turned away the Ragin' Cajuns (5-5) who had earlier used the combination of kills from Mya Wilson and Lauryn Hill to forge ahead 7-3.
The UNF block was advantageous in the final frame, the hosts throwing up four total down the stretch for the bulk of the seven attack errors Louisiana committed during the race to 15.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Louisiana stormed back from a two-set deficit with increased efficiency, firing off 33 kills on a .355 hitting percentage to extend the match and back UNF into a corner. UL enjoyed high-level success with the slide play, particularly from Wilson and Kara Barnes.
Four Cajuns reached double digits in kills led by Hill's 15. Celeste Darling fired off 13 kills while Wilson and Barnes combined for 20 kills, scoring 10 apiece, the majority on the nearly unstoppable slide play.
UNF countered with four players with double-digit kills led by Amy Burkhardt's 16 and finished with the match-edge in team kills at 68-59. The Osprey's point-scoring advantage extended to the service line where they doubled up the Cajuns in aces (12-6).
Louisiana freshman Kennedy Gustafson hauled in a match-high 22 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNF scored eight kills off its first 13 swings of the contest, racing out to a 10-3 lead before landing the Set 1 triumph. In Set 2, a 6-1 run pulled the Ospreys ahead 15-13 by the media timeout then after the break ample distance was created when a pair of Kailey McKnight aces extended the lead to 18-14.
The ebb-and-flow of the match was on full display during the Cajuns rally to evening the match.
Barnes delivered a pair of crushing kills late in Set 3 to help UL fight off the sweep, the latter providing a lead – at 21-20 – that stood.
Despite a four-point run that put UNF up 20-19 in Set 4, the Cajuns once again would not be denied as back-to-back kills by Darling followed and flipped the lead for seventh and final time in the frame. Later a middle-kill from Hicks increased the lead to 23-20 before Darling went cross court for set point to take the match the distance.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana concludes play in the UNF Invitational and plays the final match of its season-opening, 11-match road stretch on Saturday, September 9. The Ragin' Cajuns are scheduled to meet Texas Southern at 9:00 a.m. (CDT) from the UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
A live broadcast of the match is available on ESPN+ and live stats can be accessed on 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.
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
UL
UNF
Kills
59
68
Errors
16
25
Attempts
162
165
Hitting %
.265
.261
Points
70.0
86.0
Assists
57
66
Aces
6
12
Blocks
5.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOPP
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