University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, August 31
Lafayette
2:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
1-1
3
vs
2
Murray State
0-3
1
2
3
4
5
F
Murray State
27
25
25
18
9
2
Louisiana
29
18
20
25
15
3
Louisiana Uses Defense to Slow Murray State and Rally for Win in Five
8/31/2024 7:02:00 PM | Volleyball
Career day from Cami Hicks showcases Cajuns domination on the frontline
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team used its frontline defense to turn away Murray State and rally for a 3-2 (29-27, 18-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-9) win on Saturday, August 31 at E.K. Long Gym, breaking into the win column in the 2024 season.
Cami Hicks posted a career-high 13 blocks, with a hand in seven stuffs over the final two sets, to lead the charge as Louisiana (1-1) held a commanding 17.0-6.0 advantage in blocks over the Racers (0-3).
Louisiana posted eight blocks over the fourth and fifth sets combined, a key component in limiting Murray State to 13 kills and .038 hitting as a 2-1 match deficit was erased.
With the defense rising down the stretch, the Cajuns offense heated up to fuel the comeback – generating 25 kills off of 42 swings on .346 hitting.
Jazmine Gaston and Cailin Demps combined for 13 kills in the fourth-set triumph that drew UL even in the match. Gaston found the court for kills on back-to-back rallies after MSU trimmed the lead to 20-17, then the result was solidified when Hicks posted her fourth block of the set to place the Cajuns at set point.
Hicks teammed with Demps, Ella Chaney and Gaston on three separate occasions in the fifth set, in that order, the first block assuring Louisiana would maintain separation by providing a 4-2 lead. A pair of kills from Jaylynn McNeill and a Danielle Taix ace sparked a three-point run that advanced the lead to 8-4 at the side switch.
Leading 11-6, it was Hicks having a hand in a pair of blocks while the Cajuns collected the final four points for the match victory.
Louisiana came away victorious in the first-ever, on-campus meeting with Murray State and notched the 50th win of the Kristi Gray era making her the second-fastest to the mark in program history.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
The career-high 13 blocks for Hicks bested her previous-best of 9.0 blocks recorded back on Sept. 17, 2022 vs. Abilene Christian in Fort Worth, Texas.
One day after combining for 25 kills, Demps (19) and Gaston (16) combined for 35 kills.
Lauryn Hill rounded up 14 digs and was one kill shy of recording a double-double.
Setters Megan Hawkins (32) and Danielle Taix (20) combined for 52 assists. Both were clutch on the service line, teaming together for five aces with Hawkins' three being the team-high total.
Libero Mio Yamamoto reached 20 digs for the second straight match, her team-leading 23 digs just two off the match-high mark.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana concludes play for the weekend and in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic at E.K. Long Gym on Sunday, September 1 with an 11:00 a.m. match against UT Arlington.
It's the first meeting with the former Sun Belt Conference member Mavericks since their departure from the league following the 2021 season.
Admission is free and open to the public. General admission parking is in the gravel lot located behind E.K. Long Gym. Additional general admission parking is located on the first floor of Olivier Parking tower, along with the ParkMobile parking lots which can be found on the Volleyball Match Day Parking page.
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.
Cami Hicks posted a career-high 13 blocks, with a hand in seven stuffs over the final two sets, to lead the charge as Louisiana (1-1) held a commanding 17.0-6.0 advantage in blocks over the Racers (0-3).
Louisiana posted eight blocks over the fourth and fifth sets combined, a key component in limiting Murray State to 13 kills and .038 hitting as a 2-1 match deficit was erased.
With the defense rising down the stretch, the Cajuns offense heated up to fuel the comeback – generating 25 kills off of 42 swings on .346 hitting.
Jazmine Gaston and Cailin Demps combined for 13 kills in the fourth-set triumph that drew UL even in the match. Gaston found the court for kills on back-to-back rallies after MSU trimmed the lead to 20-17, then the result was solidified when Hicks posted her fourth block of the set to place the Cajuns at set point.
Hicks teammed with Demps, Ella Chaney and Gaston on three separate occasions in the fifth set, in that order, the first block assuring Louisiana would maintain separation by providing a 4-2 lead. A pair of kills from Jaylynn McNeill and a Danielle Taix ace sparked a three-point run that advanced the lead to 8-4 at the side switch.
Leading 11-6, it was Hicks having a hand in a pair of blocks while the Cajuns collected the final four points for the match victory.
Louisiana came away victorious in the first-ever, on-campus meeting with Murray State and notched the 50th win of the Kristi Gray era making her the second-fastest to the mark in program history.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
The career-high 13 blocks for Hicks bested her previous-best of 9.0 blocks recorded back on Sept. 17, 2022 vs. Abilene Christian in Fort Worth, Texas.
One day after combining for 25 kills, Demps (19) and Gaston (16) combined for 35 kills.
Lauryn Hill rounded up 14 digs and was one kill shy of recording a double-double.
Setters Megan Hawkins (32) and Danielle Taix (20) combined for 52 assists. Both were clutch on the service line, teaming together for five aces with Hawkins' three being the team-high total.
Libero Mio Yamamoto reached 20 digs for the second straight match, her team-leading 23 digs just two off the match-high mark.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana concludes play for the weekend and in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic at E.K. Long Gym on Sunday, September 1 with an 11:00 a.m. match against UT Arlington.
It's the first meeting with the former Sun Belt Conference member Mavericks since their departure from the league following the 2021 season.
Admission is free and open to the public. General admission parking is in the gravel lot located behind E.K. Long Gym. Additional general admission parking is located on the first floor of Olivier Parking tower, along with the ParkMobile parking lots which can be found on the Volleyball Match Day Parking page.
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
MUR
UL
Kills
55
62
Errors
31
27
Attempts
171
174
Hitting %
.140
.201
Points
69.0
85.0
Assists
48
60
Aces
8
6
Blocks
6.0
17.0
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballKristi Gray Media Availability (Oct 10, 2025)
Monday, November 10
Kristi Gray Media Availability (Nov 3, 2025)
Monday, November 03
Kristi Gray Media Availability (Oct 27, 2025)
Monday, October 27
Kristi Gray Media Availability (Oct 20, 2025)
Monday, October 20
