University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, October 24
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
12-7, 4-5SBC
3
vs
1
South Alabama
12-8, 7-2SBC
1
2
3
4
F
South Alabama
18
25
15
19
1
Louisiana
25
20
25
25
3
Louisiana Takes Down SBC West Leading South Alabama
10/24/2025 11:15:00 PM | Volleyball
Ragin’ Cajuns offense wins chess match with Jaguars defense
LAFAYETTE – Career-high performances from Cailin Demps and Marlee Ervin steered the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team to a convincing 3-1 win (25-18, 20-25, 25-15, 25-19) over Sun Belt West Division leader South Alabama on Friday, October 24 at E.K. Long Gym.
Demps landed 23 kills on 40 swings while Ervin scored 16 kills on her 32 swings to pace Louisiana (12-7, 4-5 SBC) to a 62-48 advantage over the visiting Jaguars (12-8, 7-2 SBC).
Louisiana set the tone from the start, firing off 17 kills on 29 error-free swings in capturing the Set 1 victory. The Ragin' Cajuns ended the night with a .315 hitting percentage (62 K, 15 E, 149 TA) – the highest mark yielded by USA's defense in Sun Belt play this season.
The Ragin' Cajuns hustle was an underlying factor in knocking off the SBC West leader. UL won the digs battle 64-59 led by libero Kennedy Gustafson who scooped 20 digs while also dishing out 13 assists.
After a brief slowdown in Set 2, with only nine kills recorded, the Ragin' Cajuns broke free from the match tie by peppering the Jaguars' defense with 36 kills on .317 hitting over the final two stanzas.
Louisiana's service tormented the Jaguars the final two sets leading to several overpasses and setting up the advantageous kills margin. Big serve runs included seven winners during a 9-1 run that increased a 15-12 lead in Set 3 and five consecutive winners served up by Gustafson to break free from an 18-all tie in Set 4.
By toughing out 10 lead changes and six ties in the final set, Louisiana bypassed the winner-take-all scenario and collected its first win over South Alabama in Kristi Gray's tenure. The Ragin' Cajuns broke a seven-match losing streak in the all-time series.
A crowd of 785 witnessed Friday's thrilling victory, pushing the season's total attendance to 7,713 which breaks the record of 7,219 set in 2023. It's the third time in the past four seasons that Louisiana establishes a new single-season total attendance record.
Louisiana collected its eighth home win which sets a new mark for most wins at E.K. Long under Gray's watch.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Demps and Ervin were the heavy lifters on offense, combining for 39 kills of the team's 62 kills. Jazmine Gaston provided 11 kills, with several timely including match points, for her highest production since 12 kills vs. Sam Houston on September 5.
Demps pushed her career kills total to 892 leaving her only eight kills shy of hitting the 900-mark.
Grace Sweeney offset a slower night than usual on offense by finishing second to Gustafson with 13 digs.
Gustafson's 12 digs tied USA's Briana Wilson for match-high honors. She increased her season total to 288, leaving her 12 shy of reaching the 300-mark in a single season for the first time in her career.
Junior transfer setter Ryleigh Garis passed out 28 assists and was one dig shy of a double-double. The 13 assists from Gustafson marked her career-high total.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and South Alabama conclude the two-match Sun Belt Conference series at E.K. Long Gym on Saturday, October 25 with first serve scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek to capture their first series sweep of the season in SBC play and notch back-to-back wins over the Jaguars for the first time since 2020.
The UL Volleyball program is celebrating Youth Weekend. Admission is free and open to the public.
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).
Demps landed 23 kills on 40 swings while Ervin scored 16 kills on her 32 swings to pace Louisiana (12-7, 4-5 SBC) to a 62-48 advantage over the visiting Jaguars (12-8, 7-2 SBC).
Louisiana set the tone from the start, firing off 17 kills on 29 error-free swings in capturing the Set 1 victory. The Ragin' Cajuns ended the night with a .315 hitting percentage (62 K, 15 E, 149 TA) – the highest mark yielded by USA's defense in Sun Belt play this season.
The Ragin' Cajuns hustle was an underlying factor in knocking off the SBC West leader. UL won the digs battle 64-59 led by libero Kennedy Gustafson who scooped 20 digs while also dishing out 13 assists.
After a brief slowdown in Set 2, with only nine kills recorded, the Ragin' Cajuns broke free from the match tie by peppering the Jaguars' defense with 36 kills on .317 hitting over the final two stanzas.
Louisiana's service tormented the Jaguars the final two sets leading to several overpasses and setting up the advantageous kills margin. Big serve runs included seven winners during a 9-1 run that increased a 15-12 lead in Set 3 and five consecutive winners served up by Gustafson to break free from an 18-all tie in Set 4.
By toughing out 10 lead changes and six ties in the final set, Louisiana bypassed the winner-take-all scenario and collected its first win over South Alabama in Kristi Gray's tenure. The Ragin' Cajuns broke a seven-match losing streak in the all-time series.
A crowd of 785 witnessed Friday's thrilling victory, pushing the season's total attendance to 7,713 which breaks the record of 7,219 set in 2023. It's the third time in the past four seasons that Louisiana establishes a new single-season total attendance record.
Louisiana collected its eighth home win which sets a new mark for most wins at E.K. Long under Gray's watch.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Demps and Ervin were the heavy lifters on offense, combining for 39 kills of the team's 62 kills. Jazmine Gaston provided 11 kills, with several timely including match points, for her highest production since 12 kills vs. Sam Houston on September 5.
Demps pushed her career kills total to 892 leaving her only eight kills shy of hitting the 900-mark.
Grace Sweeney offset a slower night than usual on offense by finishing second to Gustafson with 13 digs.
Gustafson's 12 digs tied USA's Briana Wilson for match-high honors. She increased her season total to 288, leaving her 12 shy of reaching the 300-mark in a single season for the first time in her career.
Junior transfer setter Ryleigh Garis passed out 28 assists and was one dig shy of a double-double. The 13 assists from Gustafson marked her career-high total.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and South Alabama conclude the two-match Sun Belt Conference series at E.K. Long Gym on Saturday, October 25 with first serve scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The Ragin' Cajuns seek to capture their first series sweep of the season in SBC play and notch back-to-back wins over the Jaguars for the first time since 2020.
The UL Volleyball program is celebrating Youth Weekend. Admission is free and open to the public.
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
USA
UL
Kills
48
62
Errors
19
15
Attempts
139
149
Hitting %
.209
.315
Points
60.0
71.0
Assists
44
56
Aces
5
6
Blocks
7.0
3.0
Game Leaders
Kills
23
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
OH
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