University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, September 28
Lafayette
1:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
4-9, 0-2SBC
0
vs
3
Texas State
8-5, 2-0SBC
1
2
3
F
Texas State
27
25
25
3
Louisiana
25
20
22
0
Louisiana Makes Texas State Work for Result in Another Battle
9/28/2024 4:04:00 PM | Volleyball
Close finishes in all three frames end in the Bobcats’ favor
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team pushed back and pressed preseason SBC West favorite Texas State a second straight day, the visiting Bobcats getting the key scores late to post a 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-22) win on Saturday in the closing match of the SBC series at E.K. Long Gym.
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The Ragin' Cajuns (4-9, 0-2 SBC) hit above .200 for the second straight contest, however the Bobcats (8-5, 2-0 SBC) were slightly more efficient holding a .243 to .216 edge in hitting percentage.
Texas State parlayed a 46-39 advantage in kills to come away victorious in an otherwise evenly played match – digs were tied at 47-apiece and Louisiana held a 9.0-7.0 margin in blocks.
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UL was the early aggressor with a 14-12 lead in kills during Set 1, though the Bobcats would win the endurance test – there were 15 ties, five lead changes and no lead larger than two points. A kill from Cailin Demps allowed the Cajuns to force extra points, but the Bobcats sided out after each tie and eventually nabbed set point with a combo block.
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The Bobcats' 18 kills in Set 2 pulled them across the finish. Each one was needed as the Ragin' Cajuns stormed back from deficits of 11-5 and 17-12, drawing even on the latter run with a five-point spurt keyed by a pair of Jazmine Gaston kills and one of several Cami Hicks and Jaylynn McNeill combo blocks.
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Louisiana made Texas State work to complete the sweep engaging in an offensive shootout in Set 3, the Bobcats holding on for a 16-14 edge in kills. Lauryn Hill willed the Cajuns back from a 19-11 deficit scoring three kills and a block during a 6-0 run that narrowed the Bobcats margin down to two points.
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A kill from McNeill and a subsequent Bobcats miscue made it 23-22 and had the Cajuns envisioning a fourth set, but an untimely service error gave the visitors the break they needed and Jade Defraeye responded with a kill for match point.
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The Bobcats extended their win streak at E.K. Long Gym to eight matches dating back to 2020.
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LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Gaston led the way with 13 kills on a season-high .303 hitting percentage and was joined in double figures by Hill who posted six of her 11 kills in the final frame.
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Hicks reached her usual benchmark of five blocks leading a group of four Cajuns with multiple blocks as the squad out-blocked the opposition for the fifth time this season. McNeill and Chelsea Gilmore each had a hand in four stuffs and Hill posted three blocks of her own.
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Libero Mio Yamamoto hauled in a match-high 18 digs, rounding up eight alone in the first set as the UL defense push Texas State to the limit.
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Setters Megan Hawkins (20 assists) and Danielle Taix (13 assists) combined for 33 assists and 10 digs with six and four scoops, respectively.
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UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana travels to Boone, North Carolina for the team's first road matches in Sun Belt Conference play this season, the contests scheduled for Friday-Saturday, October 4-5 at App State.
The Ragin' Cajuns and Mountaineers begin play in the Holmes Convocation Center at 5:00 p.m. (CDT). on Friday (Oct. 4) before closing the two-match series with an 11:00 a.m. (CDT) match on Saturday (Oct. 5).
The matches are being broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available at CajunStats.com.
It's the third straight season that App State is one of UL's cross-divisional opponents (from SBC East Division) since the Sun Belt adopted the scheduling format in 2022. The home team has won every match during that timeframe.
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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.
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The Ragin' Cajuns (4-9, 0-2 SBC) hit above .200 for the second straight contest, however the Bobcats (8-5, 2-0 SBC) were slightly more efficient holding a .243 to .216 edge in hitting percentage.
Texas State parlayed a 46-39 advantage in kills to come away victorious in an otherwise evenly played match – digs were tied at 47-apiece and Louisiana held a 9.0-7.0 margin in blocks.
Â
UL was the early aggressor with a 14-12 lead in kills during Set 1, though the Bobcats would win the endurance test – there were 15 ties, five lead changes and no lead larger than two points. A kill from Cailin Demps allowed the Cajuns to force extra points, but the Bobcats sided out after each tie and eventually nabbed set point with a combo block.
Â
The Bobcats' 18 kills in Set 2 pulled them across the finish. Each one was needed as the Ragin' Cajuns stormed back from deficits of 11-5 and 17-12, drawing even on the latter run with a five-point spurt keyed by a pair of Jazmine Gaston kills and one of several Cami Hicks and Jaylynn McNeill combo blocks.
Â
Louisiana made Texas State work to complete the sweep engaging in an offensive shootout in Set 3, the Bobcats holding on for a 16-14 edge in kills. Lauryn Hill willed the Cajuns back from a 19-11 deficit scoring three kills and a block during a 6-0 run that narrowed the Bobcats margin down to two points.
Â
A kill from McNeill and a subsequent Bobcats miscue made it 23-22 and had the Cajuns envisioning a fourth set, but an untimely service error gave the visitors the break they needed and Jade Defraeye responded with a kill for match point.
Â
The Bobcats extended their win streak at E.K. Long Gym to eight matches dating back to 2020.
Â
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Gaston led the way with 13 kills on a season-high .303 hitting percentage and was joined in double figures by Hill who posted six of her 11 kills in the final frame.
Â
Hicks reached her usual benchmark of five blocks leading a group of four Cajuns with multiple blocks as the squad out-blocked the opposition for the fifth time this season. McNeill and Chelsea Gilmore each had a hand in four stuffs and Hill posted three blocks of her own.
Â
Libero Mio Yamamoto hauled in a match-high 18 digs, rounding up eight alone in the first set as the UL defense push Texas State to the limit.
Â
Setters Megan Hawkins (20 assists) and Danielle Taix (13 assists) combined for 33 assists and 10 digs with six and four scoops, respectively.
Â
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana travels to Boone, North Carolina for the team's first road matches in Sun Belt Conference play this season, the contests scheduled for Friday-Saturday, October 4-5 at App State.
The Ragin' Cajuns and Mountaineers begin play in the Holmes Convocation Center at 5:00 p.m. (CDT). on Friday (Oct. 4) before closing the two-match series with an 11:00 a.m. (CDT) match on Saturday (Oct. 5).
The matches are being broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available at CajunStats.com.
It's the third straight season that App State is one of UL's cross-divisional opponents (from SBC East Division) since the Sun Belt adopted the scheduling format in 2022. The home team has won every match during that timeframe.
Â
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.
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- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
TXST
UL
Kills
46
39
Errors
18
15
Attempts
115
111
Hitting %
.243
.216
Points
55.0
50.0
Assists
44
35
Aces
2
2
Blocks
7.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB/OPP
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
L
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