Volleyball: Cajun Trio Among the Nation’s Statistical Leaders

LAFAYETTE – It’s been an exceptional start to the 2016 season for Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball team members Jessica Bartczyszyn, Chanelle Gardner and Stacey Reilly, and the proof is found in the current NCAA statistical rankings.

 
Through Wednesday, Sept. 7, Bartczyszyn led the nation in total assists, Reilly was Top 15 in total kills and points, while Gardner ranked Top 25 in hitting percentage and Top 30 in total blocks.
 
Bartczyszyn’s 344 assists topped the NCAA charts on Wednesday. The redshirt junior setter has handed out 40-plus assists six times through eight matches. She’s directed the Ragin’ Cajuns offense to 50-plus kills five times and a season hitting percentage of .200 and kills average of 12.18 per set.
 
"I am super proud of Jess right now…she’s running our offense well," head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot remarked. "We have more kills than we’ve had in a number of years, so she’s delivering a hittable ball and making it available for us to run our offense.
 
"She worked very hard this summer at it (running offense)," Mazeitis-Fontenot added. "I see her continuing to grow in her relationships with her hitters."
 
Reilly, who has an active streak of five consecutive double-doubles, ranks No. 13 in kills and No. 14 in points on the NCAA leaderboard. She’s reached double digits in kills in all eight matches, stockpiling 122 at an average of 3.59 per set.
 
Reilly opened the season with 53 kills at the Marriott Houston Westchase Classic at HBU, highlighted by a career-high 24 kills vs. HBU, and most recently accrued 69 kills during the Ragin’ Cajuns five-match homestand which wrapped up Tuesday vs. McNeese.
 
"Stacey is having a banner year," Mazeitis-Fontenot stressed. "It’s what we would have hoped for her last year, but I know her injury plagued her. Now she’s more fit than she’s ever been.

 
"She wants the ball every time and wants to be our ‘go to’ player, that hard-nosed player on the court," Mazeitis-Fontenot continued. "You can feel her heart out there and it’s really fun to watch her play."
 
Gardner entered the season with a career .260 hitting percentage and has risen to another level so far, hitting at a .427 clip which ranks No. 22 nationally. She’s hit above .300 all eight matches and during the team’s recent five-match homestand she hit .444 (59 K, 7 E, 117 TA).
 
The St. Martinville High product has already thrown up 33 blocks, good for 28th in the NCAA stats, and last week joined Kim Rodgers as one of just two players in program history to reach 300 career blocks in the rally scoring era (2001-present).

 
"Chanelle is deciding that she is going to be great this year…she’s a senior," Mazeitis-Fontenot said. "This is her making a decision, mentally, to be different."
 
Louisiana is headed into its final two pre-conference tournaments of the season – the North Texas Invitational (Sept. 9-10) in Denton, Texas and Fight Like Hal Memorial Invitational hosted by UAB (Sept. 15-16) in Birmingham, Ala.
 
First up is the trip to Denton this weekend for the North Texas Invitational at the Mean Green Volleyball Center. The Ragin’ Cajuns will face host-North Texas at 12:30 p.m. and UNCW at 5 p.m. on Friday, then have an early morning bout with Indiana State at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
 
"We’re so invested in what we’re doing as a team," Mazeitis-Fontenot said. "These three are performing at a high level and now we just have to finish."