University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, October 10
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
5-9, 1-2SBC
3
vs
2
Southern Miss
7-10, 3-2SBC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
| Louisiana | 25 | 27 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 3 |
Cajuns Finish on Winning Side of Marathon Battle with Golden Eagles
10/10/2024 10:48:00 PM | Volleyball
Louisiana erases 14-9 deficit in fifth set to collect crucial conference victory
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team overcame a five-point deficit twice in the fifth set in capturing a hard-fought and well-deserved 3-2 (25-23, 27-25, 21-25, 19-25, 17-15) win over Southern Miss as Dig Pink Weekend got underway at E.K. Long Gym on Thursday, October 10.
The heroics in Set 5 marked a fitting reward for the Ragin' Cajuns (5-9, 1-2 SBC) in an all-out battle that saw the two teams slug it out over a combined 454 attack attempts and combine to round up 237 digs
First Louisiana rallied from a 6-1 deficit to draw a 9-all tie. But perhaps the most impressive stretch of the comeback came after Southern Miss (7-10, 3-2 SBC) scored five straight points to reach match point.
Trailing 14-9, the Cajuns would fight off four straight USM match points. It began with kills from Chelsea Gilmore and Cailin Demps and then the scales were tilted in their favor when a Megan Hawkins ace and Jazmine Gaston lifted the hosts into a 15-14 lead.
A service error created a brief detour to Louisiana earning the match point. The Ragin' Cajuns took the next two points as a USM swing landed out-of-bounds in the back corner and Demps followed up with a kill to clinch the triumph over her former squad.
The result provided Louisiana its first division win in SBC play. More importantly it prevented the Golden Eagles, already with three division wins in hand, from increasing the gap with the Ragin' Cajuns.
Louisiana built a 2-0 match lead taking advantage of seven USM service errors in Set 1 and capitalizing on a 15-12 edge in kills in Set 2 – both frames decided by two points.
Southern Miss covered the floor the next two stanzas, picking up 61 digs to stymie the Cajuns offense momentarily. The Golden Eagles used a 5-1 run to break free from a 20-all tie in Set 3 and then raced out to an 11-5 lead to quickly establish momentum in Set 4.
UL increased its series win streak over USM to two matches and opened a 3-2 lead in the SBC era portion of the all-time series.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Demps led a trio of Ragin' Cajuns with double-figure kills, landing 15 scores. She was joined by Lauryn Hill and Gaston who had 12 apiece.
In a night where defense stole the show, Louisiana saw six different players round up double digits in digs. Libero Mio Yamamoto led the way with 27 digs while Megan Hawkins (24 digs), Hill (22 digs), Danielle Taix (16 digs), Gaston (15 digs) and Demps (12 digs) all completed double-doubles.
The group effort on defense resulted in Louisiana setting its rally scoring era record for digs in a match at 123.
Cami Hicks reached her customary total of five blocks (1 BS, 4 BA) to go along with seven kills. Gilmore had two blocks and nine kills adding to a productive evening from the Cajuns middles.
Hawkins (32 assists) and Taix (16 assists) steered UL's offense, combining for 48 of the team's 55 assists. Hawkins set a season-high in digs (24) and notched her team-leading sixth double-double.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and Southern Miss complete the two-match Sun Belt Conference series on Friday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. at E.K. Long Gym.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek to even their conference record, both overall and within the SBC West division, and look to become the first team to sweep the two-match series since USM joined Sun Belt in 2022.
Due to Festival Acadiens et Créoles, parking (free of charge) on Friday will be at Zone 5 (Wharton Hall), Zone 7 (between E.K. Long and Billeaud Hall) and along Hebrard Boulevard.
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 heroics in Set 5 marked a fitting reward for the Ragin' Cajuns (5-9, 1-2 SBC) in an all-out battle that saw the two teams slug it out over a combined 454 attack attempts and combine to round up 237 digs
First Louisiana rallied from a 6-1 deficit to draw a 9-all tie. But perhaps the most impressive stretch of the comeback came after Southern Miss (7-10, 3-2 SBC) scored five straight points to reach match point.
Trailing 14-9, the Cajuns would fight off four straight USM match points. It began with kills from Chelsea Gilmore and Cailin Demps and then the scales were tilted in their favor when a Megan Hawkins ace and Jazmine Gaston lifted the hosts into a 15-14 lead.
A service error created a brief detour to Louisiana earning the match point. The Ragin' Cajuns took the next two points as a USM swing landed out-of-bounds in the back corner and Demps followed up with a kill to clinch the triumph over her former squad.
The result provided Louisiana its first division win in SBC play. More importantly it prevented the Golden Eagles, already with three division wins in hand, from increasing the gap with the Ragin' Cajuns.
Louisiana built a 2-0 match lead taking advantage of seven USM service errors in Set 1 and capitalizing on a 15-12 edge in kills in Set 2 – both frames decided by two points.
Southern Miss covered the floor the next two stanzas, picking up 61 digs to stymie the Cajuns offense momentarily. The Golden Eagles used a 5-1 run to break free from a 20-all tie in Set 3 and then raced out to an 11-5 lead to quickly establish momentum in Set 4.
UL increased its series win streak over USM to two matches and opened a 3-2 lead in the SBC era portion of the all-time series.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Demps led a trio of Ragin' Cajuns with double-figure kills, landing 15 scores. She was joined by Lauryn Hill and Gaston who had 12 apiece.
In a night where defense stole the show, Louisiana saw six different players round up double digits in digs. Libero Mio Yamamoto led the way with 27 digs while Megan Hawkins (24 digs), Hill (22 digs), Danielle Taix (16 digs), Gaston (15 digs) and Demps (12 digs) all completed double-doubles.
The group effort on defense resulted in Louisiana setting its rally scoring era record for digs in a match at 123.
Cami Hicks reached her customary total of five blocks (1 BS, 4 BA) to go along with seven kills. Gilmore had two blocks and nine kills adding to a productive evening from the Cajuns middles.
Hawkins (32 assists) and Taix (16 assists) steered UL's offense, combining for 48 of the team's 55 assists. Hawkins set a season-high in digs (24) and notched her team-leading sixth double-double.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and Southern Miss complete the two-match Sun Belt Conference series on Friday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. at E.K. Long Gym.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek to even their conference record, both overall and within the SBC West division, and look to become the first team to sweep the two-match series since USM joined Sun Belt in 2022.
Due to Festival Acadiens et Créoles, parking (free of charge) on Friday will be at Zone 5 (Wharton Hall), Zone 7 (between E.K. Long and Billeaud Hall) and along Hebrard Boulevard.
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
USM
UL
Kills
60
59
Errors
26
32
Attempts
231
223
Hitting %
.147
.121
Points
78.0
74.0
Assists
57
55
Aces
6
7
Blocks
12.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
L
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