Colorado and SHSU Sweep Cajuns at Rice Adidas Invite

HOUSTON – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team was dealt straight set losses by No. 23 Colorado and Sam Houston State on Saturday in the Adidas Rice Invitational held at Tudor Fieldhouse.

No. 23 Colorado posted at least 14 kills each set and hit .274 in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-23) win over Louisiana. Sam Houston State utilized a 49-29 advantage in kills to fend off the Ragin' Cajuns 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-18).

Stacey Reilly was the Cajuns' top performer on the day, compiling 11 kills and 11 digs each match. Chloe Cordell, out with an injury in the recent four-match hometand, returned to action and posted five kills vs. Colorado and six against SHSU.

Saturday's action marked the close of pre-conference tournament action for the Cajuns. The squad begins Sun Belt Conference play next weekend with matches at UT Arlington (Sept. 18) and Texas State (Sept. 20).

Louisiana vs. No. 23 Colorado
The 23rd-ranked Buffaloes took advantage of a 14-3 edge in kills and the Cajuns' -.240 hitting percentage to grab a 25-15 win in the opening set.

Colorado jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second frame and held off a late Cajuns rally.

Trailing 22-16, the Cajuns used kills from Reilly and Cordell, an ace by Keely Hayes and block from Chanelle Gardner to move within two points at 22-20. After the teams trade service errors, kills by Anna Pfefferie and Alexis Austin gave the Buffaloes a 25-21 set victory.

Louisiana recorded 15 kills and hit a match-best .200 in the third set which nearly landed the squad a set victory.

The Cajuns broke free from an 18-all tie with kills by Hayes on consecutive rallies and saw the lead grow to 21-18 after a CU attack error. However, a 4-1 run by the Buffaloes forged a 22-all tie, then a block thrown up by Gabby Simpson and Pfefferie gave Colorado a 23-22 edge.

Down 24-22 the Cajuns fought off match point with a kill by Hayes. A chance to push the set past 25 was foiled as Alexis Austin produced a kill for Colorado.

Saturday's match marked the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The lone prior meeting occurred on Aug. 25, 2012, in a tournament hosted by Sam Houston State.

Louisiana vs. Sam Houston State
The Bearkats' 20-8 advantage in kills was the deciding factor in the opening set. Trailing 16-14, SHSU picked up five kills during a 7-0 run that swung the momentum in their favor.

Louisiana fell behind 12-7 in the second set, but used a four-point run to pull within a point. Back-to-back kills by Gardner finished the run and trimmed the SHSU lead to 12-11.

The Bearkats would stretch the lead to 15-11, but the Cajuns wouldn't go away. Reilly threw down a kill and SHSU's Jordyn Vaugh hit into an attack error which evened the set at 17-all. The momentum shifted to SHSU as a Cordell service error and Reilly attack error gave SHSU a 19-17 lead.

An ace by Jessica Bartczyszyn pulled Louisiana into a 21-all tie, but the Bearkats got back-to-back kills by Brooke White and went on to win the set 25-22 for a 2-0 lead.

The SHSU offense overpowered the Cajuns in the final set with a 16-8 edge in kills. The Bearkats jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never looked back to complete the sweep.

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Team Stats

Stacey Reilly

Keely Hayes

Chloe Cordell

Chanelle Gardner

Players Mentioned

Jessica Bartczyszyn

Chloe Cordell

Chanelle Gardner

Keely Hayes

Stacey Reilly