UL – Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns volleyball team takes on the state of Arkansas this weekend, with visits from Sun Belt Conference foes Arkansas State on Friday at 7 p.m. and UALR on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Cajuns are coming off a 3-1 win over in-state rival ULM on Tuesday, their third win in the last five matches. This weekend’s events kick off a three-game home stretch, the season’s longest, which ends with a Tuesday, Oct. 21, tilt against I-10 rival New Orleans.
Louisiana enters the weekend at 6-11 overall, with a mark of 3-4 in Sun Belt play.
Seniors Elizabeth Inman and Sonora Edwards split the team’s hitting title, with Inman leading in kills per set at 1.98, and Edwards hitting for the highest percentage at .237. Edwards put 10 kills on the floor at ULM on .348 hitting, while Inman put down 12 kills, and boasts a three-game double-digit kills streak (18 vs. South Alabama, 13 vs. Troy and 12 vs. ULM) going into the weekend.
Sophomore libero Lindsay Brown has posted at least 20 digs in each of the last three matches to lead the defense, and stands at fifth in the Sun Belt with 3.85 digs per set. In Sun Belt action, the Cajuns have held opponents to a conference-leading .143 hitting percentage. Louisiana has held four of its last five opponents to hitting percentages below .100.
“Coach (George) Hagemaster is a really good defensive coach,” Inman said. “He never lets up, and he gives (the defense) a lot of confidence. The team defense is really coming together, because the blocks are there, and the digs are there, and now that it’s all there it’s really working well.”
The Arkansas State Red Wolves own a 15-6 overall and 4-3 conference record going into a match with New Orleans Thursday night before coming to Lafayette on Friday. The Red Wolves hold a 31-10 advantage all-time over the Cajuns, including a 0-3 UL loss in Jonesboro on Sept. 26.
The Red Wolves are led by Konae Purcell, who paces the team in kills (4.02/set). Erin Neeley helms the defense, with 4.16 digs per set, while Cayla Fielder leads in blocking, with 71 total blocks on the year.
The UALR Trojans visit Lafayette defending a 17-3 overall record, along with an 6-1 mark in the Sun Belt. So far, the Trojans have been unstoppable on the road, winning all six of their away matches. The Cajuns dropped a 3-0 decision in Little Rock on Sept. 28.
The Trojans are paced by Anita Bucur at 3.51 kills per set and a stellar .349 hitting percentage. On defense, they look to Amy Hafner, who leads the team with 4.50 digs per set, standing just behind the Cajuns’ Lindsay Brown on the conference leaderboard.
Following the home weekend, the Cajuns host New Orleans on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. before taking to the road for matches against Middle Tennessee on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., and Western Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m.
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