Tonice White’s career-high 11 kills helped the University of Louisiana volleyball team seal their second sweep of the year on Friday, defeating Texas Southern 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-23) in day one of the Bon Temps Invitational at Earl K. Long Gym.

White, a sophomore from Houston, reached double-digit kills for the first time this season. She also posted a career-best attacking percentage, averaging .471 for the match.

Overall, Louisiana (3-2) hit .250, notching 36 kills. Texas Southern was held to a .041 attacking percentage, falling to 0-4 on the season. UL out-blocked the Lady Tigers, 4-to-2.

"We are modifying some things right now so we can get better," said UL head coach Heather Mazeitis. "We are happy with the win and look forward to tomorrow."

UL had another solid evening in the service category, tossing 11 aces. Freshman Caitlin Auxilien recorded seven of the 11 aces for the Cajuns. Sophomore Taylor Meade had three for UL.

Setter Mandi Gavin put together a balanced contest, recording 26 assists, six digs, three kills and two blocks. Gavin has 1,328 assists in her three-year career, making her just six away from moving into third all-time in the rally-scoring era.

Lesley Mirarchi attacked .312 in the match, tallying seven kills, while Lavinia Tataran had six kills for UL. Defensively, Meade led the Cajuns with 10 digs and Mirarchi had two blocks.

The first set remained tight for 13 points, but the Cajuns reeled off 10 consecutive points to widen the gap. UL ended the first set with three points to win, 25-14.  Louisiana totaled 16 kills with a .387 average. White led the team with six kills.

In the second set, Texas Southern opened up a 3-1 lead. Later in the match, Auxilien posted four aces out of six serve attempts to widen the gap at 20-12. TSU added two more points, but fell 25-14. Auxilien had six aces and Meade scooped up five digs in the set.

Texas Southern took an aggressive approach in the final set, taking as much as a five-digit lead. Louisiana slowly chipped away tying the match at 21. UL won four out the next six points to seal a 25-23 win and clinch their third victory of the season.

The Ragin Cajuns hit the hardwood again on Saturday, playing Mississippi Valley State at Noon. The Cajuns will close out the Bon Temps Invitational with in-state foe Nicholls State at 6 p.m. Live stats and video of all the matches will be available online at RaginCajuns.com.

— Ragin’ Cajuns —