Cajuns Complete Sweep of Sun Belt-Opening Weekend
ATLANTA – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team completed a sweep of Sun Belt-opening weekend action by claiming a straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) victory over Georgia State at the GSU Sports Arena.
Louisiana (8-7, 2-0 Sun Belt) hit above .200 in each set and averaged at least 14 kills per set for the third straight match. The Ragin' Cajuns were able to close out Georgia State (7-8, 1-1 Sun Belt) by commanding the final stages of each set.
The 2-0 start to Sun Belt play is the first for Louisiana since the 2010 season.
LEADING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Stacey Reilly topped the Cajuns offense with 11 kills on a .250 hitting percentage. Nia Antoine (8 kills), Hali Wisnoskie (8 kills) and Dree'Ana Abram (6 kills) helped her shoulder the load.
Graduate setter Jessica Bartczyszyn handed out 36 assists and chipped in three kills and six digs. She averaged 12 assists per set in both matches on the Georgia trip.
Abram led the front row with four blocks (2 BS, 2 BA) while it was a group effort on the back row with Sydney Davis, Lexi Hebert and Reilly each scooping eight digs.
UP NEXT
Louisiana returns to Earl K. Long Gym for the first time in four weeks and hosts the Sun Belt's Arkansas schools Friday-Saturday, Sept. 29-30. The Ragin' Cajuns face Arkansas State in the Sun Belt home opener on Friday, then battle Little Rock on Saturday. Both matches are set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
There will be a block party on the gym's lawn on Friday prior to the ASU match headlined by a free concert performed by Geno Delafose and French Rocking Boogie from 4:30-6:00 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Louisiana, which had led in the opening set since a GSU service error provided a 6-5 edge, trailed 20-19 after a service ace by Savian Jordan. After a Panthers attack error knotted the score, the Ragin' Cajuns capitalized by getting kills from Hanna Rovira and Abram followed by a block from Abram to open a 23-20 lead.
- The Ragin' Cajuns dug out of a 7-3 deficit in the second set with five unanswered points capped off by kills from Abram and Bartczysyzn. Back-and-forth play continued through 15-all before Louisiana posted a second string of five unanswered to forge ahead 20-15.
GSU pulled within three points twice down the stretch. Louisiana answered with kills each time, the latter off the hands of Reilly for a 24-20 advantage.
- The third set followed a similar script to the first pair. There were eight ties, the last at 17-17, before the Ragin' Cajuns snapped the stalemate with a Reilly kill and Breaux served up three more points.
The Panthers closed within a point, 22-21, with a kill from Jha'Meisheia Griffin. Once again the Ragin' Cajuns finished strong, with Reilly getting a sideout on a kill then Wisnoskie combining for a block and landing match point with a kill.
QUICK HITS
- The Ragin' Cajuns picked up their first-ever win at the GSU Sports Arena and extended their series win streak over the Panthers to three matches (now lead all-time series 5-3).
- Stacey Reilly's 11 kills marked her team-leading 11th match with double digits and the 39th overall in her career. Reilly's career kills tally increased to 889 moving her within 11 of the 900-plateau.
- Nia Antoine's eight kills increased her weekend total to 26 (3.71 per set). The junior middle blocker finished the trip to Georgia with a .422 hitting percentage.
- Louisiana's .243 team hitting percentage marked the fourth time in the past two weekends (five matches total) that the team hit above .200. The Ragin' Cajuns hit .256 on this weekend's Georgia road trip.
- Louisiana won on the opposition's home court for the third straight time. The current streak began with a four-set win at Chicago State last Friday.
- Head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot picked up her 127th win as Ragin' Cajuns head coach. She's now nine (9) wins shy of tying Wilo Colon's program-record 136 victories.
Georgia Southern Sweeps ULM 3-0
STATESBORO – Georgia Southern middles Lauren Reichard and Skylar Ball combined for 18 kills and 13 blocks, and the Eagles picked up their first Sun Belt volleyball win with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-21) victory over ULM Saturday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Reichard had 10 kills and four blocks for Georgia Southern (3-8, 1-1), and Ball added eight kills and nine blocks, both career highs for the freshman. The nine blocks was one away from tying the school record for blocks in a three-set match.
Anna Wenger chipped in nine kills and four blocks for the Eagles, and Megan Chevalier finished with eight kills and five blocks. April Luther tallied 33 assists, nine digs and a pair of aces.
Catherine Griffith led ULM (4-15, 0-2) with nine kills and two blocks, and Mikaela Worley posted seven kills, six digs and two blocks.
The story
Georgia Southern scored two straight points on a Chevalier kill and a Reichard block to break a 22-22 tie in the first set. ULM fought off two set points before a Warhawk error gave the Eagles a 25-24 lead. Luther dumped the ball over the net for one of her three kills on the night to give GS a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Eagle offense rolled in the second as GS hit .500, with 15 kills against one error, while holding ULM to .107. Reichard tied the score 12-12 with a kill, and Cathrine Murray revved up her jump serve to the tune of seven straight points as the Eagles opened an 18-12 cushion.
GS trailed 7-4 early in the third when Wenger's kill provided a sideout. Luther served five straight points, including two aces, to give the Eagles a 10-7 advantage. ULM fought back and trailed 22-21 before a Murray kill keyed a 3-0 GS run to finish the match.
Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
On defense and blocking
"We had to respect (Catherine) Griffith, she's a good player, and I think we contained her pretty well. She hit .200 tonight and hit .667 last night. When she got the ball, we got Lauren (Reichard) on her and the matchup was good all three sets. Blocking-wise and defensively, we were okay after the first set. It's still something we need to work on, but overall, I was pretty happy."
On passing
"They went deep, and we don't see that too much. We weren't moving our feet and just lunging at balls, but they fixed it. They did a good job making adjustments tonight."
On offense
"Our setters connected with our hitters very well tonight. Our passing runs the offense, and we had some goals that all of our pin hitters hit over .200. They did it. One of goals is one of our middles gets double-digit kills, and they got it. We hit almost .300 as a team, and that's going to win you matches. I'm very happy with the way they executed as a group tonight and came back from a tough loss last night."
Next up
Georgia Southern caps a three-match homestand against South Carolina State Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Hardeman's Single-Match Record Leads Coastal Past Little Rock
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Leah Hardeman set a Coastal Carolina single-match record with 32 kills to lead the Chanticleers to a four-set (25-20, 25-27, 25-13, 25-14) victory at Little Rock on Saturday night.
The senior's record-setting performance helps Coastal to improve to 5-6 overall, and remain unbeaten through two Sun Belt Conference matches. Coastal's previous single-match record for kills, held by Hardeman, was 27. Hardeman's stellar performance on Saturday also included a .492 hitting percentage and 16 digs for her eighth double-double of the season.
Coastal hit .321 as a team overall while limiting Little Rock to a .152 percentage. Coastal registered 11 team blocks, led by the seven send-backs of Larissa Dos Sanots.
The Chants' second double-double of the night came from Sara Boothe, who dished out 28 assists while adding 10 digs.
Coastal got off to a great start in the opening set, jumping in front 15-6 to take what appeared to be a comfortable lead. Following a Little Rock timeout, however, the Trojans went on a 9-3 run to cut the Chants' lead to just three points. The rally was cut short there, as Coastal regained a six-point cushion en route to a five-point set win.
While the Trojans couldn't complete a comeback in the first set, they managed to pull it off in the second. Coastal led by four points midway through the game before Little Rock rallied to even the frame at 20-20. The set was tied four more times before the Trojans received a kill from Marina Avram for set point, and a Coastal error evened the match at 1-1.
The Chants had already built a decent lead heading into the middle of the third set, going ahead by as many as six points before winning five straight to essentially seal the game with a 19-9 lead.
Coastal led the final frame from start to finish, claiming the set's first six points and leading by as many as 11 points as it closed out the match.
The Chants make their home debut next weekend hosting UTA (Sept. 29) and Texas State (Oct. 1) at the HTC Center.
JAG VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS TEXAS-ARLINGTON IN FOUR SETS
ARLINGTON, Texas – The University of South Alabama volleyball team defeated Texas-Arlington in four sets (26-24, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23) Saturday in Sun Belt Conference action at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
USA (7-5, 2-0 SBC) took the first two sets of the match, and sealed the victory with a 25-23 win in set four to earn its second consecutive SBC win.
South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts a pair of SBC matches at Jag Gym. USA will host Georgia State Fri., Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. match with Georgia Southern on Sat., Sept. 30.
GAME FACTS
- USA faced a four-point deficit in set one when UTA held set point at 24-20, but scored six consecutive points to clinch the set at 26-24.
- The Jaguars held a three-point lead early in the second set before going on a 6-0 scoring run to take a 12-3 lead. USA later clinched the set on block assists from Kristina Alabastro and Hannah Johnson. The Jags posted a .320 hitting percentage in set two.
- South Alabama posted a .306 hitting percentage in the final set, and was charged with just two errors in the set.
- UTA finished with a .000 hitting percentage in the second set after posting eight kills along with eight errors.
NOTES
- Ashlyn Roberts recorded her team-leading third double-double of the season with 20 assists and 12 digs, in addition to one service ace and a career-high four kills.
- Two Jaguars recorded double-figure kill totals: Kelley Hartman (15) and Kristina Alabastro (12).
- Hartman finished with a career-high 15 kills, along with a .448 hitting percentage, two service aces, three digs, one solo block and five block assists.
- In addition to her 12 kills, Alabastro posted a .289 hitting percentage, one assist, five digs, one solo block and two block assists.
- Parker Harrell finished one dig shy of a double-double, totaling 11 assists with nine digs along with two kills.
- Abby Baker recorded a game-high 22 digs in four sets along with eight assists.
- Saturday's win marked the program's second win all-time over UTA and snapped a five-game losing skid in the series. It marked the Jags' first over the Mavericks since 2013.
QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On the win:
"I thought UTA came out with a good game plan and played really well tonight. Our team pulling out that first set was very big. We were down, and coming back and winning that first set in their gym was very important and crucial to us winning this match tonight. I was proud of our girls for fighting back after being down. We controlled the entire second set, and I thought that was our best executed defensive set. I expected UTA to come out in the third set, and they came out and pushed us in that set. I didn't think our girls responded as well, but I thought we responded well in the fourth set and basically controlled it. I thought UTA played well, but I thought our team handled the pressure well in every set but the third. We'll use that as a learning moment moving forward."
- On Kelley Hartman's performance:
"Kelley is a leader and captain for our team. Their (UTA) game plan was to defend her. Some attackers can sort of feel that pressure and become uncomfortable, but Kelley really took the challenge and made herself comfortable even though they were still focused on defending her. For her to have a career-high in kills on a night where a team actually game planned to defend her shows how strong she is. She's just continuing to grow and gain confidence each weekend that we play. She is really using a growth mindset each weekend to get better."
- On opening conference play with two wins:
"It was good to pick up two wins in Texas against two teams that typically compete at the top of the conference. It was a good weekend, but we have to maintain focus and continue to get better every week. Now we are going to focus on our opponents for next weekend."
UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts a pair of SBC matches at Jag Gym. USA will host Georgia State Fri., Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. match with Georgia Southern on Sat., Sept. 30.
@AStateVB Wins Five-Set Thriller Over App State
JONESBORO, Ark. (9/23/17) – The Arkansas State and Appalachian State volleyball squads played an epic fifth set with the Red Wolves able to claim a thrilling 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 25-23, 18-25, 22-20) victory Saturday night at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro.
A-State (8-7, 1-1 SBC) jumped out to an 11-7 advantage in set five to force an App State (6-10, 1-1 SBC) timeout and had match point at 14-11 after a block by Timber Terrell. However, the Mountaineers came back and tied it 14-14 to set up multiple extra points. A-State earned six match points, the last coming at 21-20 before a kill by Drew Jones gave the home team the 22-20 game five victory and thrilling 3-2 match win.
“I’m proud of the fight in our team, but we had some bad stretches where we didn’t play like we’re capable of in this match,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “I’m very proud of Sheridan (Webb) and you can’t ever take conference wins for granted. Appalachian State fought hard and it was really a match either team could have won. I’m just glad we came out on top.”
Three players posted double-doubles for the Red Wolves including Sheridan Webb (57 assists, 11 digs), Kenzie Fields (13 kills, 14 digs), and Jones (11 kills, 13 digs). Carlisa May led the team with 16 kills, while Terrell posted a career-high 13 kills on a .435 hitting percentage with a career-high seven blocks. Tatum Ticknor picked up 21 digs to lead the team, while Jones tied a career high with six blocks.
Arkansas State out hit the Apps .249-.190, but had 14 service errors to only one ace, while the visitors had five aces against 10 errors. The Red Wolves managed a season-best 14 blocks during the match to only six for App State. Kara Spicer led the Mountaineers with 19 kills, while Melissa McMath added 15. Setter Ashlyn Brown handed out 63 assists and had 12 digs.
The first set was knotted at 8-8 through 16 points, but A-State claimed a five-point edge at 19-14 on a kill by May. Appalachian State battled to within two at 23-21, but a kill by Jessica Uke and attack error gave A-State a 25-21 win in set one. The Red Wolves appeared to be in control of set two at 21-17 after a block by Uke and Webb, but App State responded to go ahead 24-23 with a 7-2 run. A-State won the next point, but two straight points for the Mountaineers gave them a 26-24 victory.
The third set was close throughout, but the Apps appeared to have control late at 22-19 after an ace by Emma Reilly. However a 4-0 run, capped by a Terrell kill, put the home team in front 23-22. App State won the next point, but a kill by Fields and block by Jones and Uke gave A-State a 25-23 win. The Mountaineers raced out to a 10-6 lead in set four and never looked back. The Red Wolves battled to within 17-14, but the Apps closed the set on an 8-4 run to claim a 25-18 triumph that set up the epic fifth set.
Arkansas State hits the road for its next match as the Red Wolves travel to Lafayette, La., to take on the Ragin’ Cajuns Friday, Sept. 29. First serve from Earl K. Long Gym is set for 6:30 p.m.
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.