University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, October 31
Lafayette
2:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
12-13, 7-5SBC
3
vs
2
Southern Miss
15-8, 6-6SBC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss | 20 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 12 | 2 |
| Louisiana | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 3 |
10/31/2026 6:28:00 PM | Volleyball
Schnell, Armstrong and Miciotto establish career highs as Cajuns bolster first-round conference tournament bye hopes
LAFAYETTE – Sarah Schnell delivered a career-high 22 kills as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team strengthened its pursuit of a first-round Sun Belt Conference Tournament bye with a 3-2 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday, October 31 at E.K. Long Gym.
The Ragin' Cajuns prevailed 25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 20-25, 15-12, snapping a four-match losing streak against the Golden Eagles and moving into a tie with South Alabama, division-record wise, for third place in the SBC West Division.
Louisiana (12-13, 7-5 SBC), which owns the tiebreaker over South Alabama, improved its chances of securing a top-three divisional seed and the accompanying first-round bye ahead of next week's final round of divisional play. Southern Miss slipped to 15-8 overall and 6-6 in conference play.
UL held advantages in kills (64-56), digs (79-76) and aces (5-2), powering through the deciding set after the Golden Eagles erased a two-set deficit.
Schnell established a career best in kills for the second straight day and third time in four outings. She finished the two-match series with 42 kills on .376 hitting across 93 swings.
Kennedy Gustafson matched USM's Sadie McAda for match-high honors with 23 digs, surpassing 400 in a season for the first time and raising her total to 408.
Sophia Armstrong collected a career-best 17 digs, while Rhyan Miciotto distributed a career-high 37 assists. Grace Sweeney added a double-double of 14 kills and 12 digs, and Lolo Lambert contributed nine kills. Lindsey Henry led Louisiana with five blocks.
Aubrey Judd paced the Golden Eagles with 18 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana closed the opening set on a 7-1 run, with Schnell supplying two late kills, including the clincher.
The Ragin' Cajuns followed with 18 kills on .469 hitting in the second, taking control with a 7-1 surge that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 10-5 lead.
USM answered by hitting .333 in the third and overcoming a 10-6 deficit in the fourth to force the deciding frame.
Trailing 7-6 in the fifth, Louisiana scored five consecutive points. Schnell and Sweeney supplied kills, while Schnell teamed with Emily Williams for a block during the decisive stretch. Schnell totaled five kills in the finale, and Henry and Jazmine Gaston combined for the match-ending block.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns take a road trip to north Louisiana, traveling to Monroe for a two-match Sun Belt Conference series with ULM at b1Bank Fant Coliseum from Friday-Saturday, November 6-7.
UL is scheduled to meet the Warhawks at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Live video coverage of both matches is available on ESPN+.
The matchup against ULM marks the final division contests in SBC play for Louisiana this season and will finalize the team's seed for the upcoming conference tournament November 19-22 in Foley, Alabama.
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).
The Ragin' Cajuns prevailed 25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 20-25, 15-12, snapping a four-match losing streak against the Golden Eagles and moving into a tie with South Alabama, division-record wise, for third place in the SBC West Division.
Louisiana (12-13, 7-5 SBC), which owns the tiebreaker over South Alabama, improved its chances of securing a top-three divisional seed and the accompanying first-round bye ahead of next week's final round of divisional play. Southern Miss slipped to 15-8 overall and 6-6 in conference play.
UL held advantages in kills (64-56), digs (79-76) and aces (5-2), powering through the deciding set after the Golden Eagles erased a two-set deficit.
Schnell established a career best in kills for the second straight day and third time in four outings. She finished the two-match series with 42 kills on .376 hitting across 93 swings.
Kennedy Gustafson matched USM's Sadie McAda for match-high honors with 23 digs, surpassing 400 in a season for the first time and raising her total to 408.
Sophia Armstrong collected a career-best 17 digs, while Rhyan Miciotto distributed a career-high 37 assists. Grace Sweeney added a double-double of 14 kills and 12 digs, and Lolo Lambert contributed nine kills. Lindsey Henry led Louisiana with five blocks.
Aubrey Judd paced the Golden Eagles with 18 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana closed the opening set on a 7-1 run, with Schnell supplying two late kills, including the clincher.
The Ragin' Cajuns followed with 18 kills on .469 hitting in the second, taking control with a 7-1 surge that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 10-5 lead.
USM answered by hitting .333 in the third and overcoming a 10-6 deficit in the fourth to force the deciding frame.
Trailing 7-6 in the fifth, Louisiana scored five consecutive points. Schnell and Sweeney supplied kills, while Schnell teamed with Emily Williams for a block during the decisive stretch. Schnell totaled five kills in the finale, and Henry and Jazmine Gaston combined for the match-ending block.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns take a road trip to north Louisiana, traveling to Monroe for a two-match Sun Belt Conference series with ULM at b1Bank Fant Coliseum from Friday-Saturday, November 6-7.
UL is scheduled to meet the Warhawks at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Live video coverage of both matches is available on ESPN+.
The matchup against ULM marks the final division contests in SBC play for Louisiana this season and will finalize the team's seed for the upcoming conference tournament November 19-22 in Foley, Alabama.
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 -
Players Mentioned
L
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
USM
UL
Kills
56
64
Errors
19
25
Attempts
168
181
Hitting %
.220
.215
Points
68.0
75.0
Assists
53
61
Aces
2
5
Blocks
10.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
22
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
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