Home Weekend Starts With Nation's 23rd-Ranked Team

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Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball Mid-season Report

LAFAYETTE – The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team plays its first home Sun Belt Conference matches of the 2012 season over the weekend welcoming traditional league powers Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee to Earl K. Long Gym.

The action begins with the nation's 23^rd-ranked team, the Hilltoppers (16-3, 2-0 Sun Belt), providing the opposition for the Ragin' Cajuns (9-8, 1-1 Sun Belt) on Friday. First serve is at 7 p.m.

UL closes out the weekend on Saturday with a 3 p.m., match against Middle Tennessee (3-14, 0-2 Sun Belt).

Louisiana's rebuilding process under the direction of head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot is continuing to bear fruit. Just two years removed from the program's first winning season and conference tournament berth since 2002, the Cajuns this season have posted two pre-conference tournament titles and entered SBC play with a winning mark for the first time since 2001.

UL has maintained a season hitting percentage above .200 since opening weekend and has showed improved play on the road, coming off a 4-2 stretch. Last weekend, the Cajuns were a misplayed free ball away from sweeping North Texas which would have resulted in a 2-0 start to league play.

The weekend's matches with WKU and MT will provide a good barometer for UL to gauge just how far the program has climbed over the past three seasons and to see how close the program is to entering the upper echelon of the Sun Belt Conference.

Since 2005, either WKU or MT has won the Sun Belt East Division title and either one of the two schools has claimed the league's conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament automatic berth.

“Western and Middle have always been two outstanding volleyball programs and great ambassadors of our league,” head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot remarked. “Middle was in the Sweet 16 just five years ago and is just a great powerhouse of volleyball. With Western being ranked 23^rd in the country, the caliber of volleyball and caliber of athletes that will walk in the door this weekend is impressive.

“Jordyn Skinner, the All-American outside hitter for Western Kentucky is simply amazing to watch,” Mazeitis-Fontenot added. “And, Middle always seems to have tremendous athletes. If you want to see some great volleyball at a 'very high level' that we will compete against come watch us at Earl K. Long this weekend.”

The Cajuns, themselves, have been playing at a high level since returning from the University of Florida Active Ankle Challenge winless. Louisiana has produced a 5-2 mark since that time, hit .222 offensively, held opponents to a .158 hitting percentage and seen five players average over two kills per set.

Louisiana opened SBC play last weekend with a split of the La.-Monroe-North Texas road trip. The Cajuns convincingly swept the Warhawks in the opener holding them below .100 hitting each set and using a sparkling .256 team percentage to overwhelm the hosts.

Last Saturday, in Denton, the Cajuns were having their way with the SBC's top defense – NT entered the match with a .126 opponents' hitting percentage – posting hitting percentages of .390, .286 and .421 in collecting a 2-1 lead in the match. The Mean Green rallied as they dialed up the defense with nine blocks over the last two sets and the “five-set bug” bit the Cajuns once again.

“We were two points from winning at North Texas in three,” Mazeitis-Fontenot recalled. “In the second set we were up 25-24 and they gave us a free ball. Two of my girls cut in front of each other and we missed the opportunity to score set point and ultimately the match went on to a fifth set.

“We are so close in those five-set matches that we are losing by only a couple of points,” Mazeitis-Fontenot said. “We are just right there, and we just have to find a way to win those five-set matches.”

Louisiana hit above .200 in both outings last weekend (.256 at La.-Monroe/.257 at North Texas) and has finished a match this season with a .200-plus percentage 10 times in 17 outings. UL's season hitting percentage is .212 which ranks fourth in the SBC.

The balanced attack on offense continues to be a staple of the Cajuns play. At La.-Monroe, four different Cajuns accrued five kills or more led by the duo of Andrea Hole and Kelly Wiesmann who finished with eight apiece. Against North Texas, four player reached double figures in kills led by Andrea Hole's season-and career-tying 18 kills.

Through 17 matches the Cajuns have five different players averaging right at or above 2.00 kills per set. Lavinia Tataran paces the group at 2.48 kills per set (154 in 62 sets). Blair Claypoole continues to be the most efficient point producer, sporting a .321 hitting percentage.

“When our kid that is getting the least amount of attacks is hitting 27 balls in a five-set match and our player that is getting the most of attacks is hitting 38 balls – and everyone else is in-between – we truly have a balanced attack and we are coming at our opposition from every spot on the floor,” Mazeitis-Fontenot pointed out.

Mandi Gavin is inching ever closer to the 3,000 career assists plateau, which would make her only the fourth player in program history to top that mark. Gavin has accrued 590 assists through 17 matches, lowering her total needed for 3,000 to 226 with 15 regular season matches remaining.

Libero Caitlyn Auxilien has scooped up double figures in digs in 14 of 17 matches.

Led by Gavin from the service line, the Cajuns continue to lead the Sun Belt Conference in aces per set. Louisiana has piled up 104 aces over 62 sets, an average of 1.68 per set (next closest SBC school is FAU at 1.51 aces per set).

The Cajuns carry a five-match winning streak at Earl K. Long Gym into the weekend. UL has won 22 of the past 29 matches contested at Earl K. Long Gym and the Cajuns are 12-1 in sets on their home floor in 2012.

“I would to see us respond to like we have responded in every home match this year,” Mazeitis-Fontenot suggested. “We have brought our highest level of play each time out. During our home tournament we went 3-0 and hit over .300 for the weekend. If we bring that caliber of play to the Western Kentucky match it is going to be a really fun night, and a really good night of volleyball to watch.”

The next victory gives the Ragin' Cajuns 10 which would signal double digits in wins for a third straight season. The last time the Cajuns tallied double digits in wins in three consecutive seasons was 2000-02

Live stats and live video for both matches is available at RaginCajuns.com

For all of the latest news and information on Ragin' Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow the athletics department on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/ULRaginCajuns along with @ULRaginCajuns on Twitter.

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Home Weekend Starts With Nation's 23rd-Ranked Team

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