Lamar Outlasts Cajuns in Four Sets

Contact: Matt Hebert

Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)

BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar's .269 attack percentage was enough to hold off the Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team Tuesday evening here at McDonald Gym in a 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 27-25) win that snapped Louisiana's four-match winning streak.

The Cardinals (6-4) attack percentage each set was higher than the Cajuns (4-3). In the decisive fourth set, Lamar out-hit UL .359 to .282.

The advantage in hitting percentage in the fourth set allowed the hosts to fend off a furious Cajuns rally which saw the visitors erase a 17-11 LU lead and forge a 25-all tie. A pair of UL attack errors allowed the Cardinals to avoid a fifth set.

Tonice White led a trio of Cajuns in double figure kills with 15 over 30 attempts. Lavinia Tataran and Kelly Wiesmann each tallied 13 kills.

Mandi Gavin and Andrea Hole (pronounced who-lah) weren't able to get on track and that affected the Cajuns offense which hit below .200 for the first time in five matches. Hole netted just four kills and hit -.143 while Gavin was limited to two kills.

Sophomore libero Caitlyn Auxilien registered her sixth double digit digs outing, finishing with a match-high 22 digs. Taylor Meade contributed a season-high 15 digs.

The trio of Cynthia McCollum (16), Wendy Krell (15) and Sierra Whittaker (13) combined for 44 of the Cardinals' 57 kills.

The match marked the start of a four-match road swing for the Cajuns. Louisiana travels to Gainesville, Fla., over the weekend to participate in the University of Florida's Active Ankle Challenge. In Gainesville, the Cajuns will square off with Georgia Tech, Florida and Jacksonville. The tournament runs Friday-Saturday, Sept. 7-8.

Lamar took control of the opening set after using a Whittaker kill to break a 6-all tie. That was the start of a 10-2 run that staked LU to a 16-8 advantage. UL drew within four points, 22-18, following a Tataran kill. The Cardinals finished off the set victory by scoring on three of the final four rallies.

Trailing 4-3 in the second set, Louisiana grabbed hold of the lead with kills on consecutive rallies getting one apiece from White and Wiesmann. The Cajuns maintained the lead on the way to a 25-23 victory that evened the match.

Following a 15-minute protest by the Cardinals following the 10-minute intermission, the hosts raced out to a 5-1 lead at the start of the third set benefitting from three Cajuns attack errors.

UL battled back from an eight-point deficit, closing within four points (20-16) following a block thrown up by Blair Claypoole and Gavin. Kills from McCollum and Krell stretched the LU lead to six points and led to a set victory which gave the match edge back to the Cardinals.

The loss was the fourth straight for the Cajuns at McDonald Gym. The Cardinals avenged a 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23) loss to Louisiana at Earl K. Long Gym last season.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Next Event

Team Stats

Tonice White

Kelly Wiesmann

Lavinia Tataran

Blair Claypoole

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics