The Book 2008-09 UL Lady Cajuns Volleyball

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 The Heather Mazeitis era officially starts today for UL's volleyball team in Houston at the Rice Tournament.

Mazeitis and her Ragin' Cajuns will play three matches over the next two days, starting with a 12:30 p.m. matchup against Michigan and 5:30 p.m. meeting against Rice. The Cajuns end the trip at 4 p.m. Saturday against Texas-San Antonio.

Those matches should present a challenge for the Cajuns, who return nine letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that went 4-29 under Amy Kraljev. Michigan was ranked 19th nationally last year after going 24-11, Rice returns five of six starters from a 13-17 squad and UTSA is coming off a 13-21 season.

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Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • August 29, 2008

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 HOUSTON - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns opened the 2008 season with a loss to nationally acknowledged Michigan, dropping straight sets by scores of 10-25, 22-25, and 17-25. Despite the 0-3 final score, the Cajuns played well and head coach Heather Mazeitis was proud of their performance.

RaginCajuns.com

John L. Strawn

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  HOUSTON - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns had a tough Friday to open the 2008 season, falling to Michigan early in the day and capping the night with a loss to Rice in straight sets by scores of 13-25, 16-25, and 14-25.

The Cajuns drop to 0-2 on the young season with the loss, as first-year Cajun head coach Heather Mazeitis and her team undertake their first regular season games together.

RaginCajuns.com

John L. Strawn

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 UL - University of Louisiana students will return to class on Thursday, but the effects of Hurricane Gustav will be felt at least through the weekend by the Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team.

Head coach Heather Mazeitis on Wednesday announced that the team would withdraw from this weekend's McNeese Tournament at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. The decision was made after considering the circumstances and consulting with UL Director of Athletics David Walker.

"We had to ask ourselves if playing in the tournament was going to be fair to our students," Mazeitis said. "For most of them it was their first hurricane. A lot of them have been sitting in a hotel and have not even seen the court in a few days. We did not want to withdraw, but otherwise it was going to be very difficult."

Withdrawing from the tournament eliminates matches with Southern Miss on Friday and McNeese and Mississippi State on Saturday, though discussions are ongoing with McNeese to reschedule the match. The Ragin' Cajuns will use this weekend to make up for lost time on the practice court.

Next for the Cajuns is their first home match of the year, taking on Stephen F. Austin in Earl K. Long Gymnasium on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.

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John L. Strawn

[CajunSaint]

looking forward to seeing the ladies at home. will be there to welcome them in their home opener.

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LAFAYETTE - The Lady Cajuns volleyball team swings back into action in their first home match of the 2008 season on Tuesday. They will take on visiting Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. in front of a home crowd and also on the Web thanks to a live internet stream at RaginCajuns.com (subscription required).

Coming off a 0-3 start in the Rice Tournament and three cancelled matches in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, the Cajuns are eager to bring home their first victory while on the home hardwood. Louisiana had not lost three straight matches to start the season since 1998, but that has only served as motivation to come out strong against SFA.

“We’re really excited about playing at home,” head coach Heather Mazeitis said. “It’s all about progress right now. I think if we had played this weekend we would have been at a significant disadvantage, but we have had some great practices instead. This team is so ready to win, and as we go through this nonconference schedule we are looking for little victories so that once we get into Sun Belt play we can go after the big victories.”

The Ragin’ Cajuns have their work cut out against a tough SFA team, but are confident to take the court behind the stifling net defense crew of Elizabeth Inman, Amie Goodwin, Caroline Dufrene, and Tracie Knowlton. The quartet represents the top four blockers on the team, with seven, six, five and five blocks respectively. Along with Lesley Mirarchi (four), they have lifted the Cajuns to third place in blocking in the Sun Belt Conference, averaging 2.22 blocks per set. Inman stands tied at sixth in the conference for total blocks.

Stephen F. Austin’s Ladyjacks are coming off a 27-8 season, in which they won the Southland Conference regular season title for the fourth consecutive year. 2008 has not been so kind, as the Ladyjacks bring an even 3-3 record to Lafayette, with losses to St. Louis, Miami (OH) and Montana.

“They are a very good team, always on the cusp of being in the top 25 [in the AVCA Div. I coaches poll],” said Mazeitis of Stephen F. Austin’s team. “They are just very strong. What we have to do is make sure we pass well, run our middle effectively, and be prepared to dig everything they give us.”

RaginCajuns.com

[LuLu]

I noticed that my football season tickets had a punch card for Women's Fall sports. That would be 5 punches for each ticket. It includes volleyball and soccer. I plan on using it Tuesday.

Good luck Cajuns!

[snote]

Quick reminder of the match tonight. Also coach Mazeitis will be giving a preview of tonight's opponent and such around 2:45 on the Sportsnote.

Volleyball's Home Page

[wisconsincajun]

Good luck to the ladies tonight! We will be down there thursday to support them in the home tourney! Geaux Cajuns

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 LAFAYETTE - The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team opened their 2008 home schedule with plenty of fans, excitement and applause in attendance. The only thing that evaded them was a win as Stephen F. Austin took three straight sets by scores of 25-11, 25-15, 25-20.

The Cajuns played their first home match of the season against SFA, and the Ladyjacks easily took the first two sets. But the noise from the crowd picked up in the third set and the team responded, making it a thrilling exchange complete with 11 tied scores. It was a battle the Cajuns led most of the way, but multiple errors slowed their momentum following a 17-17 tie, and SFA took advantage of the hiccup. They scored eight points to the Cajuns' three in the final 11 rallies.

Kendra Hall made her first start of the season, and tallied 18 total assists, with one service ace against no service errors. Offensively, the team was paced by Carly Payan with five kills, with Lesley Mirarchi and Amie Goodwin close behind with three each.

Defensively, Elizabeth Inman made three total blocks to continue her superb play at the net. Libero Lindsay Brown led the team in digs with 12.

Next, the Cajuns get set to host the Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball Classic Friday and Saturday. Coming into town will be Nicholls State, Northwestern State and Akron for five total matches, all played in Earl K. Long Gym in Lafayette.

RaginCajuns.com