The Book 2004-05 UL Lady Cajuns Volleyball

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Louisiana-Lafayette enters the match on a two-match win streak

HOUSTON - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team takes a break from Sun Belt Conference action and finishes out non-conference play here Tuesday evening in a match against Rice University.

First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Autry Court on the Rice University campus.

The Ragin' Cajuns (5-15) enter the match on a two-match winning streak after posting straight set sweeps of Lamar and South Alabama in the final two matches of last week's three-match homestand.

UL Lafayette will face a stern challenge in attempting to extend its win streak to three in a row. No team this season has gone into Autry Court and won a single game of a match.

The host-Owls (16-2) are riding a nine-match win streak overall and are undefeated on their home court. As a team, Rice averages 16.59 kills per game, 15.02 assists per game, 16.92 digs per game and 2.80 blocks per game.

Rice, receiving votes in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 poll, is currently ranked No. 26 in the latest poll released on Monday.

Louisiana-Lafayette received a needed confidence booster on its recent homestand and hopes the improved play can carry over into this week.

As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns finished the homestand averaging 15 kills, 20.7 digs and 2.7 blocks per game. The Cajuns are coming off of back-to-back matches with attack percentages above .200.

Elina Salomaki continued her improved play, tallying a double-double in all three matches last week. The junior outside hitter averaged 3.6 kills and 3.8 digs per game in helping the Cajuns register their first home victory and first conference victory of the season.

The Ragin' Cajuns offer a balanced attack with Elina Salomaki leading the way with 2.73 kpg. Jessica Patterson and Hope Webre are next with 2.27 and 2.25 kpg, respectively.

Defensively the Cajuns have been getting solid outings from libero Hollie Girouard. Girouard has reached double-figures in digs in the last six outings and averaged 5.6 per game in last week's homestand.

Rice has been carried by offensively by Rebeca Pazo (4.54 kills per game) and Lindsey Carter (3.40 kills per game). The defense has been paced by Tessa Kuykendall (1.59 blocks per game) and Yvette Kirk (3.54 digs per game).

The Owls have been perfect at home this year, winning all eight matches in 3-0 decisions. At Autry Court, the squad is averaging 18.38 kills per game on .318 hitting, while limiting their foes to just 10.92 kpg and .079 hitting.

Rice leads the all-time series 3-0. The two teams last met on Sept. 6, 2002, with the Owls posting a 3-0 (30-25, 30-22, 30-24) victory at Autry Court in a match that was part of the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational.

Following Tuesday's match, the Ragin' Cajuns will return to Earl K. Long Gym on Thursday, Oct. 14 for the final home match of October. The Cajuns meet Sun Belt foe Florida International (1-14, 0-5 Sun Belt) in a 7 p.m. match which jumpstarts a stretch of nine straight Sun Belt matches to finish the regular season.

LOUISIANA SI

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Louisiana hosts Florida International for the final home match of October

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Lady Cajuns volleyball team opens the stretch run of the 2004 Sun Belt Conference volleyball season here Thursday night in a 7 p.m. match against Florida International at Earl K. Long Gym.

The match begins a stretch of nine straight Sun Belt matches to finish the regular season as the Ragin' Cajuns make their push for a spot in the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Louisiana-Lafayette (5-16, 1-5 Sun Belt) enters the match on a two-match win streak at Long Gym after back-to-back sweeps of Lamar and South Alabama last week.

Thursday's match will be the final home match for UL Lafayette in the month of October and final one before an upcoming seven-day layoff.

The Cajuns will look to get back on the winning track after dropping a three-game match at Rice University on Tuesday.

UL Lafayette enters the match trailing eighth-place Arkansas-Little Rock by one-half game in the race for a spot in the conference tournament. A win would be critical as the conference season nears the halfway point.

The Cajuns rely on the balanced attack provided by Elina Salomaki (2.70 kpg), Jessica Pattison (2.24 kpg), Hope Webre (2.23 kpg), Kim Rodgers (1.89 kpg) and Stacy Liverett (1.69 kpg).

Louisiana-Lafayette has fared well at home as of late. During last week's homestand, the Cajuns averaged 15 kills, 21 digs and nearly three blocks per game.

FIU (1-14, 0-5 Sun Belt) has lost nine consecutive matches and is winless on the road this season. The Golden Panthers haven't gone down without a fight, though, as the team has won at least one game in six of the nine matches

FIU's offense is paced by Anna Dmowksa who averages 3.19 kills per game. She has led the team in kills each of the last three weeks and has averaged 4.00 kills per game the last two weeks.

The Golden Panthers have been hurt by attack errors more than anything this season. FIU averages nearly eight per game while the opposition is at five per game.

Thursday's match will be the ninth meeting all-time between the two schools. Louisiana-Lafayette holds a 6-2 edge and has won all four meetings at Long Gym.

The home team has won the last five meetings.

Following Thursday's match, the Ragin' Cajuns will take the weekend off and then return to action on Friday, Oct 22 in Jonesboro, Ark., against Arkansas State for the opening match of a four-match road swing.

LOUISIANA SI

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JONESBORO, Ark. — Louisiana’s Lady Cajun volleyball team puts its two-match conference win streak on the line here today in a 7 p.m. match against Arkansas State at the Convocation Center.

The match marks the first of four straight road matches for the Ragin’ Cajuns (6-16, 2-5 Sun Belt) over the next eight days. The Cajuns visit Arkansas-Little Rock Saturday before closing out the road swing next Friday and Saturday at South Alabama and New Orleans respectively.

Louisiana enters Friday’s match with ASU (18-6, 5-2 Sun Belt) having won its last two Sun Belt Conference outings with wins over South Alabama and Florida International.

In the last outing, the Cajuns defeated FIU 3-2 (24-30, 30-23, 30-25, 22-30, 15-9) last Thursday. UL Lafayette has been off since then, a span of seven straight days, having time to rest up for the stretch run.

Today’s match, along with Saturday’s contest at nemesis Arkansas-Little Rock, will be critical in the Cajuns’ chase for a berth in the 2004 Sun Belt Tournament. The Cajuns enter the weekend trailing UALR and North Texas by one game for the eighth and final spot. North Texas plays UALR Friday and ASU Saturday.

UL has seen improved play since the calendar turned over to October.

The Lady Cajuns have won three of their last four outings averaging 13.5 kills, 15.6 digs and 2.0 blocks per game while posting a hitting percentage of .181

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MOBILE, Ala. — Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit here Friday evening to post a 3-2 (25-30, 28-30, 30-28, 30-20, 15-13) victory over South Alabama at Jaguar Gym.

The win snapped the Cajuns’ 13-match road losing streak in Sun Belt play and was the squad’s first road win in Sun Belt play since defeating South Alabama 3-1 on Nov. 3, 2002.

Elina Salomaki posted a career-high 25 kills to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns’ efforts. Salomaki also had 13 digs as she posted her seventh double-double of the season.

UL (7-18, 3-7 Sun Belt) notched team season-highs for kills (72) and assists (65) as the squad completed the season sweep of the Jaguars and defeated USA for the 16th time in the last 17 meetings.

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Volleyball hosts NMSU

LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana’s Lady Cajun volleyball team is close to having its chances expire in terms of a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament.

The Cajuns (7-20, 3-9 Sun Belt) are still alive, but have little room for error and need cooperation from any team playing either North Texas or Denver.

One more loss by UL and the postseason dream will end.

Two spots remain up for grabs, but the Cajuns trail both NT and DU by two games with just three matches left in the season and the squad does not have the advantage in terms of tiebreaker situations.

The task is even tougher, with Louisiana hosting four-time Sun Belt West Division champion New Mexico State (24-2, 12-0 Sun Belt) in a 1 p.m. match today at Earl K. Long Gym. The Aggies enter the contest riding a 13-match win streak, one which began with a 3-0 win over UL on Oct. 1 in Las Cruces, N.M.

The Cajuns would enjoy nothing more than to play spoiler in the Aggies’ attempt to become the first Sun Belt school to post back-to-back unbeaten conference records since Arkansas State did so in the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

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LOUISIANA La.— The University of Louisiana Lady Cajun volleyball team begins the final weekend of its 2004 season tonight against Sun Belt West Division travel partner North Texas at Earl K. Long Gym. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

The Cajuns (7-21, 3-10 Sun Belt) will be looking to stop a pair of losing streaks and play spoiler in North Texas´ attempts to better its seeding for the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament.

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[snote]

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette accepted the resignation of head women's volleyball coach Becky Madden on Wednesday. Madden had served in that capacity since being hired to the post on July 24, 2002.

Madden compiled a 28-59 (.322) record in three seasons leading UL
volleyball.

"We regrettably accept Coach Madden's resignation and wish her luck in future endeavors," stated UL athletics director Nelson Schexnayder.

"A full search for a new volleyball coach will begin immediately,"
Schexnayder added.

No timetable has been set for hiring a new coach.

from SID

[DaddyCajun]

KATC stated tonight she left to go coach the recently vacated position at ESA High School!! We have to get football going so we can pay our coaches SOMEWHAT MORE!!


Just a thought,
DaddyCajun

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The Episcopal School of Acadiana volleyball job didn't stay open very long, and now it's the University of Louisiana that has a position to fill.

UL volleyball coach Becky Madden takes her three years of experience as head coach of the Ragin' Cajuns, eight years of collegiate head coaching and 14 years of college experience to the legendary ESA program.

"I wasn't out there looking for a job," said Madden, "although for the last five years, in the back of my mind, I'd been thinking about transitioning into high school. But it had to be a good opportunity."

That opportunity presented itself late last week when Ursula Quoyeser stepped down after a historic 11 years as coach of the Lady Falcons. Nine of a national-record 16 straight state Division V titles came under Quoyeser, whose team also reached the state finals two years ago and the semifinals last fall.

"I knew I didn't want just any high school position," said Madden, "and this really was the opportunity of a lifetime. Something like this probably would never have come up again ... it was great timing, a great situation, a great volleyball program and a great school. Everything kind of fell into place."

Madden informed UL officials and her team of her decision Tuesday.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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BATON ROUGE - Once former Acadiana High Lady Rams volleyball player Jamie Sinegal's high school career came to an end, she quickly turned her attention towards her number one goal - playing collegiate ball.

And although Sinegal didn't receive the interest that she thought she deserved, giving up was never an option.

"That's not me," Sinegal said. "I'm not the type of person to give up. When you give up that is when you really lose. Failure to me is to give up."

While she did have junior college opportunities, Sinegal continued to work hard with hopes that a Division I school would take notice.

And finally someone did as then Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns head coach Becky Madden, who has since left to take over the head coaching job at ESA, offered Sinegal a scholarship.

"I knew that I could have gone to junior college for two years," Sinegal said. "But I really wanted to play for Becky Madden. I wanted to stay close to home and I love the fact that my parents will have the opportunity to come out and see me play."

"I'm really excited for Jamie," Lady Rams volleyball coach Anne Roger said. "Jamie made the decision to play college ball late, because a lot of people thought she would go somewhere and run track. So I'm happy for her."

Roger said that the Cajuns are getting quite the competitor in Sinegal.

"Jamie is very confident," Roger said. "But she is also very much a competitor. Jamie is one of those people that on the court will do everything they can do to rise to the occasion. She is not the type of player to lay back when the game is at a critical point. She's the one to step up."

Although she has a college scholarship, Sinegal has continued to work hard during the summer.

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Eric Narcisse
enarcisse@theadvertiser.com