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Volleyball: Hali Wisnoskie’™s Big Night Highlights Milestone Evening for Louisiana VolleyballJunior outside hitter reaches 1,000 career-kills mark, Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot claims 400th career win
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Next Match:
at Sun Belt Conference Tournament
11/21/2019 | TBA
 
Hali Wisnoskie Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The night belonged to junior outside hitter Hali Wisnoskie who scored at least eight kills in every set leading Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-16) win over Little Rock in the regular season finale at Jack Stephens Center.
As a result, Wisnoskie exited the match with a new career-best, single-match total of 26 kills, off only 47 swings. She also proceeded to surpass the 1,000 career kills mark, before her junior campaign comes to a close.
Behind the high-flying Wisnoskie, who has scored 173 kills at a rate of 4.68 per set since Oct. 18, the Ragin’ Cajuns (14-15, 10-6 Sun Belt) extended their win streak to five matches and won for the ninth time in the past 10 outings.
The victory was also a momentous one for head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot who collected No. 400 overall in her collegiate coaching career (1996-present).
Louisiana secured the No. 5 seed for the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament, being held Nov. 21-24 in San Marcos, Texas, and reached double-digits in SBC wins for the second time in the past three seasons.
In each set that the Ragin’ Cajuns needed a momentum shift, it was no surprise that Wisnoskie came through. It started in the first set when she landed four kills during the stretch where Louisiana erased a 20-19 deficit and went on to the win in a topsy-turvy frame that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes.
Wisnoskie carried the load early in the second set with four kills in Louisiana’s first 10 points, then added more four tallies during a 13-4 run which stretched the lead to an insurmountable 21-12 margin.
The Columbus, Texas, product in effect would deliver the knockout punch when she scored four more kills during a five-point stretch in the third set which opened an 18-9 lead. The Trojans (6-22, 4-12 Sun Belt) would get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Louisiana swept the season series for the third time this decade, and finished the span (2010-19) with an 11-8 edge in the series.
LEADING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Wisnoskie’s production came with only one miscue the entire evening, leading her to a season-best .532 hitting percentage. She increased her season kills total to 340, establishing a new personal single-season mark.
Celeste Darling generated nine kills while Dree’Ana Abram and Kelsey Bennett each scored six kills for the remaining bulk of Louisiana’s 50 kills – a season-high total in a three-set match.
Abram delivered one of her strongest performances of the season at the net, totaling a match-high six blocks. Setter Avery Breaux got in on the act, throwing up her career-best of five blocks.
Louisiana rounded up 79 digs – over 26 per set – to go along with 10 blocks, in limiting the Trojans to a .096 hitting percentage. Hannah Ramirez led the way with 22 digs, Bennett reached double digits for the seventh straight match with 18 and Wisnoskie scooped 17 for her seventh double-double of the season.
Breaux delivered 39 assists and added 10 digs for her team-leading 14th double-double. She hit the 30-assist mark in all but one Sun Belt contest.
UP NEXT
Louisiana returns to the court on Thursday, Nov. 21 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Texas and will face Arkansas State (16-12, 7-9 Sun Belt) in the opening round of the event.
The tournament’s official bracket, and the start time of Louisiana’s opening match, will be announced following the conclusion of the league’s regular season schedule on Sunday, Nov 17.
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