McNeese Uses Efficient Attack to Outlast Ragin' Cajuns

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese State used a .370 hitting percentage to outlast the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-20) Tuesday evening at Memorial Gym in Lake Charles.

The Cowgirls (9-13) hit above .350 each set and were led by a match-high 14 kills from Malina Sanchez.

Chloe Cordell topped the Ragin' Cajuns (5-18) with 10 kills on 25 swings. Chanelle Gardner added nine kills and Hanna Rovira produced eight kills.

The Ragin' Cajuns played without the services of senior outside hitter Sara Mossakowski who received treatment for a lingering back injury.

Tuesday's match marked the final non-conference outing of the season for Louisiana. The squad returns to Sun Belt Conference play on Friday, Oct. 23 in Little Rock, Ark., in a 6:30 p.m., match against the Trojans at Jack Stephens Center.

Louisiana climbed out of a 6-2 deficit in the opening set with a 6-1 run capped off by the serve of Gardner. After a kill by Cordell trimmed the MSU lead to 7-5, Gardner served up two aces on a 3-0 run that gave UL an 8-7 lead.

Neither team gained an advantage greater than two points as back-and-forth play continued through 18-all. The Cowgirls then used four straight kills to open a 22-18 edge, enough cushion to land the set victory.

McNeese made the first move in the second set using a 4-0 run to break a trend of alternating scores that resulted in a 7-all tie. A pair of Cajuns attack errors and kills from Monica Hudgins and Rae Myers sparked the hosts to the 11-7 edge.

The Cajuns broke the Cowgirls serve with a kill from Rovira, but the hosts recaptured their momentum by beginning a 6-2 run, which opened a 17-10 advantage, with a kill by Myer and block thrown up by Ebony Lewis and Shanna Spree.

Louisiana raced out to a 7-3 lead in the third set, grabbing the lead off the serve of Rovira. She notched an ace to draw a 2-all tie and then her next serve led to a kill by Katey Kyle for the go-ahead tally. McNeese responded with a 4-0 spurt that generated a tie at 7-all.

The Cowgirls pulled in front 12-11 after a kill by Myers and would maintain their lead by recording a sideout each time the Cajuns closed within a point. After posting a sideout on a kill by Sanchez for a 21-19 lead, the Cowgirls won four the final five rallies to claim the set and match.

The loss extended the Ragin' Cajuns current losing streak to five matches. The Cowgirls collected their fourth straight victory.

The two teams met at Memorial Gym for the first time since the 2009 season, the site of the Cowgirls' last win over the Ragin' Cajuns. McNeese ended Louisiana's three-match, series win streak.

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Team Stats

Chloe Cordell

Chanelle Gardner

Hanna Rovira

Stacey Reilly

Players Mentioned

Chloe Cordell

Chanelle Gardner

Katey Kyle

Sara Mossakowski

Hanna Rovira