The Book 2007-08 UL Lady Cajuns Volleyball

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MONROE – In recent seasons, Louisiana has not fared well in five-game matches. Sunday evening, the Lady Cajuns reversed their misfortunes as UL staved off the ULM Warhawks 3-2 (30-17, 30-25, 28-30, 17-30, 15-12), sweeping the season series. The win snapped Louisiana’s (4-25, 3-11 Sun Belt) five-match losing streak as well as a 10-match road losing streak. The win was also UL’s first five-game triumph since a 3-2 win at UALR on Nov. 11, 2006. Louisiana is now 2-14 in five-game matches under third-year head coach Amy Kraljev. The Cajuns had a pair of players in double figures. Freshman Caroline Dufrene (Lake Charles, La.) led UL with a team-high 12 kills, while adding three blocks. Fellow freshman Monica Deschaine (Boerne, Texas) tallied 10 kills and three blocks. Two other freshmen – Lindsay Brown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Amie Goodwin (Tucson, Ariz.) – each added nine kills. Middle blocker Tracie Knowlton (Forest Grove, Ore.) added eight kills, while recording a match-high six blocks. Sophomore Kendra Hall (Dallas, Texas) paced the offense with 43 assists. Senior libero Erika Castro (San Antonio, Texas) led all players with 25 digs, while becoming only the second player in school history to record 1,500 career digs (Nia Kiggundu – 2,043). ULM didn’t put up much of a fight in game one as the Ragin’ Cajuns cruised to a solid 30-17 win, taking a 1-0 lead. After the Warhawks tied the game at 12 all, Louisiana reeled off 18 of the next 23 points for the win. UL hit .233 as a team in game one, while holding ULM to nine kills and seven attack errors on 30 total attacks (.067). Louisiana continued its early dominance in game two despite the close score. Leading 24-17, the Cajuns were able to clinch a 30-25 win in game two holding off a furious ULM rally. Entering game three, the Cajuns had the chance to post its second three-game sweep of ULM this season. However, the Warhawks staged a late comeback to foil UL’s quest for the sweep and force a fourth game. Trailing 23-21, the Warhawks rattled off four straight points to take a 25-23 lead. UL was unable to overtake ULM as the Warhawks held on for the 30-28 win. ULM continued to shutdown the visiting Cajuns in game four as the Warhawks easily defeated UL 30-17. ULM held the Cajuns to a -.026 attack percentage, forcing UL to commit nine attack errors. Facing a potential five-game loss, Louisiana bounced back in the fifth and final game, denying ULM to take the lead. After ULM tied the game at 10-10, the Cajuns scored five of the final seven points to take the match, snapping its 10-match road losing streak. Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns return to action next weekend when they conclude the road portion of their 2007 schedule. UL will face the North Texas Mean Green on Friday, Nov. 2, followed by the Denver Pioneers on Sunday, Nov. 4. RaginCajuns.com

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Amie Goodwin became the fourth player in program history named All-Louisiana Freshman of the Year. BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns freshman outside hitter Amie Goodwin (Tucson, Ariz.) has named Louisiana's Freshman of the Year, as voted by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Friday. Goodwin was also an honorable mention selection to the All-Louisiana team. Goodwin becomes the first Cajun since 2003 to be named to the LSWA All-Louisiana squad. Elina Salomaki was an honorable mention pick that season. She is also the fourth player in program history to earn the state's top rookie honor, joining Nia Kiggundu (1993), Janaina Gomes (1998) and Beth Henson (2000). Goodwin recorded double-digit kills in 18 of 27 matches this season, while starting her rookie campaign with six double-digit matches. She registered a career-high 22 kills in a 3-1 win over Florida Atlantic on Sept. 22. She also tallied 14 or more kills 11 times, including two 19-kill performances. Goodwin tallied 19 kills and 20 digs in a loss to Stetson on Sept. 14. Despite missing four matches during Sun Belt Conference play, the freshman still led the Ragin' Cajuns in kills (340) and kills per game (3.21) for the majority of the season. Goodwin also recorded a team-best seven double-doubles, while also leading the team in service aces. RaginCajuns.com

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Congratulations Amie.

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BATON ROUGE - UL freshman outside hitter Amie Goodwin broke a four-year absence for the Ragin' Cajun volleyball team on the All-Louisiana Team announced Friday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Goodwin was named Freshman of the Year and was also an honorable mention selection to the All-Louisiana team. The rest of the story