University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, October 16
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
10-7, 2-5SBC
1
vs
3
Troy
4-11, 2-5SBC
1
2
3
4
F
Troy
24
25
25
25
3
Louisiana
26
15
21
18
1
Louisiana Bested by Troy in Series Opener
10/16/2025 10:10:00 PM | Volleyball
Trojans’ offense takes over following opening set close call
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team had early momentum taken from its grasp as quickly as it was gained by a Troy offense that heated up rapidly after a Set 1 loss leading the visiting Trojans to a 3-1 (24-26, 25-15, 25-21, 25-18) win on Thursday, October 16 at E.K. Long Gym.
Louisiana (10-7, 2-5 SBC) was the early aggressor on offense with a 15-12 advantage in kills to take the opening stanza and grab an early match lead.
Facing a potential early match deficit trailing 24-21 in Set 1, the Ragin' Cajuns rattled off five consecutive points to stun the Trojans (4-11, 2-5 SBC) in extra points. Grace Sweeney and Cailin Demps combined for three kills, the latter from Demps pulling UL ahead to stay at 25-24.
Troy used its defense to quickly turn the Ragin' Cajuns back and even the match. Louisiana was limited to just five kills on a -.107 hitting percentage lending to a runaway win by the Trojans where the visitors were doubling up the hosts as early as 14-7.
The Ragin' Cajuns grabbed the lead first in the race for the match lead as back-to-back Marlee Ervin kills and a combo block from Lindsey Henry and Cailin Demps opened a 4-1 advantage. The Trojans offense responded with four kills during a 4-1 run that evened the score in Set 3 at 5-all.
Louisiana could never break away as Troy continued to find offense to hang around before eventually taking over. Led by 10 kills from Amiah Butler alone, the Trojans found the floor for a kill 21 times in claiming the match lead – Butler registering the final three points herself with a kill.
Charged by eight more kills from Butler in Set 4, the Trojans completed the comeback.
UL scored five kills, with two apiece from Demps and Sweeney, during a stretch of five ties through 7-all. Hopes of forcing a fifth set were dashed as Butler provided three kills during a 5-0 run that created final separation for the Trojans.
Louisiana was unable to hold its early match lead as the squad netted only 24 kills over the final three sets after beginning the night with 15 kills on its first 39 swings. Troy's sprint to the finish line was buoyed by a healthy 47-24 advantage in the kills department over the final three frames. The Trojans hit .400-plus (35 K, 6 E, 70 TA) while breaking the match tie.
The Ragin' Cajuns had their losing streak extended to four matches and dropped to one game behind Troy in SBC West division play. Louisiana, though, has an opportunity to earn the tiebreaker on Friday.
The Trojans won for the fifth straight time at E.K. Long Gym, a streak which dates back to 2018. Troy increased its series lead to 18-14 which now includes a 17-10 edge in SBC matches.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Demps (11 kills) and Sweeney (9 kills) combined for 20 of the Cajuns' 39 kills. Chelsea Gilmore added seven kills off of 11 error-free swings (.636).
The frontline defense had Demps' fingerprints on it as she posted a match-high five blocks.
Libero Kennedy Gustafson took home match-high honors with 15 digs. She's hit double digits in all seven SBC matches, reaching 15 digs for the fifth time. Thursday's production moved her within 19 digs of 700 for her career and closer to surpassing her single-season best total (295 in 2023).
Sweeney added nine digs to her stat line as she finished a kill and dig shy of a double-double.
Freshman and Lafayette native Rhyan Miciotto was the lone Cajun with multiple aces (2) and dished out a season-high 17 assists.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and Troy conclude the two-match Sun Belt Conference series at E.K. Long Gym on Friday, October 17 with first serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek to gain a split in the series, look to halt their four-match losing streak and also get a chance to capture the all-important tiebreaker for SBC Tournament seeding.
Alumni Weekend continues with pre-match access beginning at 4:00 p.m. and an on-court recognition during the match.
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.
Fans can support the volleyball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Back Reaux Club (click here).
Louisiana (10-7, 2-5 SBC) was the early aggressor on offense with a 15-12 advantage in kills to take the opening stanza and grab an early match lead.
Facing a potential early match deficit trailing 24-21 in Set 1, the Ragin' Cajuns rattled off five consecutive points to stun the Trojans (4-11, 2-5 SBC) in extra points. Grace Sweeney and Cailin Demps combined for three kills, the latter from Demps pulling UL ahead to stay at 25-24.
Troy used its defense to quickly turn the Ragin' Cajuns back and even the match. Louisiana was limited to just five kills on a -.107 hitting percentage lending to a runaway win by the Trojans where the visitors were doubling up the hosts as early as 14-7.
The Ragin' Cajuns grabbed the lead first in the race for the match lead as back-to-back Marlee Ervin kills and a combo block from Lindsey Henry and Cailin Demps opened a 4-1 advantage. The Trojans offense responded with four kills during a 4-1 run that evened the score in Set 3 at 5-all.
Louisiana could never break away as Troy continued to find offense to hang around before eventually taking over. Led by 10 kills from Amiah Butler alone, the Trojans found the floor for a kill 21 times in claiming the match lead – Butler registering the final three points herself with a kill.
Charged by eight more kills from Butler in Set 4, the Trojans completed the comeback.
UL scored five kills, with two apiece from Demps and Sweeney, during a stretch of five ties through 7-all. Hopes of forcing a fifth set were dashed as Butler provided three kills during a 5-0 run that created final separation for the Trojans.
Louisiana was unable to hold its early match lead as the squad netted only 24 kills over the final three sets after beginning the night with 15 kills on its first 39 swings. Troy's sprint to the finish line was buoyed by a healthy 47-24 advantage in the kills department over the final three frames. The Trojans hit .400-plus (35 K, 6 E, 70 TA) while breaking the match tie.
The Ragin' Cajuns had their losing streak extended to four matches and dropped to one game behind Troy in SBC West division play. Louisiana, though, has an opportunity to earn the tiebreaker on Friday.
The Trojans won for the fifth straight time at E.K. Long Gym, a streak which dates back to 2018. Troy increased its series lead to 18-14 which now includes a 17-10 edge in SBC matches.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Demps (11 kills) and Sweeney (9 kills) combined for 20 of the Cajuns' 39 kills. Chelsea Gilmore added seven kills off of 11 error-free swings (.636).
The frontline defense had Demps' fingerprints on it as she posted a match-high five blocks.
Libero Kennedy Gustafson took home match-high honors with 15 digs. She's hit double digits in all seven SBC matches, reaching 15 digs for the fifth time. Thursday's production moved her within 19 digs of 700 for her career and closer to surpassing her single-season best total (295 in 2023).
Sweeney added nine digs to her stat line as she finished a kill and dig shy of a double-double.
Freshman and Lafayette native Rhyan Miciotto was the lone Cajun with multiple aces (2) and dished out a season-high 17 assists.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and Troy conclude the two-match Sun Belt Conference series at E.K. Long Gym on Friday, October 17 with first serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek to gain a split in the series, look to halt their four-match losing streak and also get a chance to capture the all-important tiebreaker for SBC Tournament seeding.
Alumni Weekend continues with pre-match access beginning at 4:00 p.m. and an on-court recognition during the match.
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.
Fans can support the volleyball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Back Reaux Club (click here).
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
TROY
UL
Kills
59
39
Errors
16
17
Attempts
138
122
Hitting %
.312
.180
Points
76.0
51.0
Assists
54
37
Aces
12
5
Blocks
5.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
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