For the second straight season Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball team finished on a winning note.
Louisiana (9-24, 3-15 Sun Belt) swept Louisiana-Monroe (3-30, 0-18 Sun Belt) by set victories of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-21 Sunday afternoon at the UL Monroe Activity Center.
The victory was the Ragin’ Cajuns’ ninth of the season – the most since the 2002 team won 15. It also marked the second straight season under Heather Mazeitis in which the team improved upon the previous season’s win total.
It was perfect sendoff for senior setter Kendra Hall who played in the 118th and final match of her career. Hall leaves Louisiana having played in 422 career sets – the most in the rally scoring era.
Lindsay Brown, who moved past 500 digs on Friday, recorded her 10th match of 20-plus digs as she finished with 23. Brown ends the season with 536 digs, which is the rally scoring era record and fifth-most in program history. Brown will enter her senior season with 1,258 career digs, only 331 shy of the No. 2 spot on the program career Top 5.
UL saw four players – Bethany Fogler, Mandi Gavin, Amie Goodwin and Ariel Krolikowski – reach at least eight kills in the match. Fogler, Gavin and Krolikowski each posted nine kills.
It was a consistent effort for the Ragin’ Cajuns who tallied 13 kills in each set.
Hall dished out 29 assists in her finale and collected 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the season and 30th of her career. She capped off her senior campaign with a personal-best 85 kills and 258 digs.
UL Monroe was led by a match-high 10 kills from Mari O’Neal. Christy Tribble posted a match-high 26 digs. The Warhawks suffered their 65th consecutive Sun Belt Conference defeat and are now 2-70 all-time in league play.
In the opening set largest lead was three points and changed three times. In the end the Cajuns’ .163 hitting percentage carried them to the victory.
Down 20-19, UL scored on six of the next seven rallies to take a 1-0 lead in the match. A kill by Goodwin created the sixth and final tie, then a block thrown up by Caroline Dufrene and Gavin gave the Cajuns a 21-20 lead.
Two Warhawks attack errors and an ace by Goodwin pushed the UL lead to four points. Two rallies later a service error by O’Neal gave the Cajuns the set victory.
The final two sets followed a similar script – the Cajuns rallied in the final rallies. There were a total of 25 tied scores and 11 lead changes.
In the second set, tied at 20-all, the Cajuns scored on the final five rallies to move their match lead to 2-0. Goodwin broke the final tie this time then UL Monroe committed three attack errors in the final four rallies.
The third set saw the Warhawks post more kills than the Cajuns (15-13), but Louisiana was more efficient in their attack attempts. UL hit .214 compared to .111 for the hosts.
Tied at 20-all, Fogler gave the Cajuns the lead for good with a kill. Then up 22-21, Louisiana finished with a fury getting kills from Fogler and Krolikowski then a bock solo from Fogler to end the match.
Louisiana now enters the second offseason under head coach Heather Mazeitis. The Ragin’ Cajuns are set to return seven letterwinners for the 2010 season and will only need to replace one starter.
— Ragin’ Cajuns —
