VB: Group Effort Guides Cajuns to Home-Opening Triumph
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball team came away successful in its home opener, utilizing a balanced offensive attack and stuffing the stats sheet in numerous categories, to post a 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18) win over Nicholls on Thursday, September 14 in the opening match of the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic at E.K. Long Gym.
Led by the trio of Shyia Richardson, Mya Wilson and Kara Barnes who each scored 10 kills, the Ragin' Cajuns (7-5) saw a total of five players produce at least eight kills. UL held a 53-40 edge in kills over Nicholls (2-7), out-hitting the visitors .260-.153.
Louisiana reached double figures in aces (12) and blocks (12), paced by Mio Yamamoto's five aces and Cami Hicks' eight blocks – both match-high totals. With four players hauling in double-digit digs, the Cajuns averaged an impressive 16-plus digs per set (65 total).
The Ragin' Cajuns took control of the match early hitting .400-plus and totaling 30 kills, serving up seven aces and posting eight blocks, over each of the first two sets to open a commanding 2-0 match lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana broke free from a tied affair in Set 1, closing the frame with a 10-2 run. Barnes snapped a 15-all tie with a kill, then Celeste Darling and Lauryn Hill followed suit and Richardson served up an ace to stretch the lead to 19-15. Nicholls caught a brief break on a service error, but the Cajuns went right back to Barnes to trigger five unanswered points.
The second set was all about the Ragin' Cajuns block, particularly the tandem of Hicks and Wilson who combined for three stuffs. UL had five blocks in the frame, with Hicks having a hand in each one.
The Colonels upstaged the Cajuns in Set 3 to extend the match. A kill from Hill gave UL it's largest lead of the frame at 16-9, however the visitors fired off six straight points to climb back in and begin a set-ending 16-6 jaunt that prompted a fourth set.
The firepower of Wilson and Barnes gave Louisiana breathing room in Set 4. The duo came out of the media timeout and pounded out three kills, the final two coming from Barnes to open an 18-13 advantage.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Richardson also finished with the team-lead in digs, collecting 14 to register her third double-double of the season. The San Francisco transfer tacked on three service aces to her stat line.
Both Wilson and Barnes needed less than 20 swings to reach double digits in kills. Barnes played error-free and swung at a .588 clip on 17 swings.
Hicks recorded her season-high blocks total, finishing one shy of her career-high mark. Wilson continued to emerge on the block as she had a hand in five, marking the fifth time in the last seven matches she had multiple blocks.
Yamamoto's five aces are the most by a Ragin' Cajun this season. She became the fifth team member to reach double digits in aces this season, now with 11.
Freshman Maddi Fritz teamed with Siena DeCambra to run the 6-2 attack and turned in her first collegiate double-double by totaling 18 assists and 10 digs.
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