Volleyball: Louisiana Captures Championship at Memphis Tiger Invitational 9/16/12

Volleyball: Louisiana Captures Championship at Memphis Tiger Invitational 9/16/12

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Entering the finale of the Tiger Invitational Saturday evening the Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball team was only hours removed from a heartbreaking defeat to Illinois-Chicago. Those thoughts became a distant memory when the final point was tallied in the winner-take-all championship match with Memphis.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns (8-7) proved the UIC match (five-set defeat after a 2-0 lead) would not be a roadblock on their drive to a tournament championship as they charged out of the gate against the Tigers (5-9) hitting .158 and .233 while holding Memphis to -.081 and .086 en route to a quick 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Memphis would take the third set, but Louisiana left no doubt in the decisive set by pounding out 20 kills on a .533 hitting percentage to close out a 3-1 (25-13, 25-18, 21-25, 25-17) win that gave the Ragin’ Cajuns the tournament championship.
 
In downing the host-Tigers of Conference USA, UL captured its second tournament title of 2012 (won Bon Temps Invitational at Earl K. Long Gym) and collected a championship in a road tournament for the first time since a 4-0 run through the McNeese Cowgirl Roundup opening weekend of the 2002 season.
 
Louisiana’s outright title was set up by Belmont’s win over UIC in the previous match which left the Flames with a 2-2 tournament mark. The Cajuns handed Memphis their lone defeat of the event and claimed the title on the head-to-head victory.
 
Saturday’s title was set up by a pair of straight set sweeps of Alabama A&M and Belmont on Friday. Adding in Saturday’s results, the Cajuns went 11-4 in sets during the Tiger Invitational.
 
Sticking with a recent trend, Louisiana used a balanced effort offensively led by a match-high 12 kills from Tonice White on 27 swings. Lavinia Tataran added 10 kills (22 attempts) and the trio of Blair Claypoole, Andrea Hole and Kelly Wiesmann contributed nine kills apiece.
 
UL did an excellent job of not allowing the Tigers to pull off lengthy runs by finishing with a match sideout percentage of 64 percent (48-of-74). The Cajuns sideout percentage was 70-plus percent in each of the first two sets resulting in a quick 2-0 lead.
 
Senior Mandi Gavin was named tournament MVP after ending the event averaging 9.3 assists and 2.6 digs per set. Gavin dished out 38 assists in the championship effort. Sophomore libero Caitlyn Auxilien scooped up 15 digs – her 13^th double digit outing of the season – and her tournament total of 72 digs (4.8 digs/set) earned her all-tournament accolades.
 
“The team is progressing really fast at the right time, giving we begin conference play next weekend,” head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot. “Our outside hitters stepped up and pulled it all together against Memphis.

“Can’t say enough about Caitlyn (Auxilien),” Mazeitis-Fontenot emphatically stated. “She and the rest of our defense kept us in some rallies that were not continuing just last week…extremely proud of all of them.”
 
The Cajuns back row tandem of Auxilien and defensive specialist Taylor Meade combined for 21 of the squad’s 53 digs (40 percent). The front row defense sparkled as well, throwing up seven blocks to wrap up the tournament with 29 total blocks over 15 sets. Claypoole (three blocks) and Wiesmann (three blocks) stepped up against Memphis.
 
“We modified our blocking and it definitely paid off throughout the weekend,” Mazeitis-Fontenot explained. “Getting 10 blocks against UIC and then following up with seven against Memphis is a significant increase from previous weeks.”
 
The Cajuns wasted little time establishing momentum as they led from start to finish in the opening set. The defense held UM to six kills and a -.081 hitting percentage.
 
Louisiana jumped out in front 7-1, the final three points coming on Tigers attack errors. Later in the set three straight kills by White stretched the lead to double figures, 13-3, for good. UL led by as many as 14 points on five different occasions.
 
In the second set, a sideout percentage of 72 percent (13-of-18) helped the Cajuns fight off nine ties and three lead changes. The Tigers’ largest lead of two points, 9-7, was quickly erased by a White block solo and Tataran ace.
 
UL regained the lead for good when a Maja Kostic service error broke a 13-all tie. A 5-0 Louisiana run broke open an 18-16 margin and locked up the set victory. White got things started with a kill, then an Auxilien ace was the first of four more unanswered that stretched the lead to 23-16.
 
The Tigers took advantage of their best hitting percentage of the match, a .361 clip, to stay away from the sweep. Memphis out-killed Louisiana 18-11 in picking up a 25-21 set victory that forced the Cajuns to wait one more set before grabbing the tournament hardware.
 
UL began to pull away in the decisive set when kills on three straight rallies – one apiece from Tataran, White and Wiesmann – stretched a 9-7 lead out to 12-7.
 
The Tigers would close to 18-16, but the Cajuns sizzling sideout percentage (64 percent) kept the hosts at bay. A Hole kill upped the lead to 19-16, then the Norwegian product served up five straight points to extend the advantage to 24-16.
 
The win snapped a three-match losing streak to the Tigers and cut the series deficit to 8-5. It was the first meeting between the two schools since a 3-0 Memphis win in the 2007 Tiger Invitational (Sept. 15, 2007).
 
Louisiana wrapped up pre-conference tournament play and finished 7-6 in such events this season. The Ragin’ Cajuns are set to open Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday, Sept. 20 in Monroe with a 7 p.m., match against the Warhawks.
 
For all of the latest news and information on Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow the athletics department on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/ULRaginCajuns along with @ULRaginCajuns on Twitter.

 

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Louisiana vs Memphis (Sep 15, 2012 at Memphis, Tenn.)

Site: Elma Roane Fieldhouse

Attend: 157   Time: 1:34   

Louisiana def. Memphis 25-13, 25-18, 21-25, 25-17

Louisiana (8-7) (Kills-aces-blocks) – White, Tonice 12-0-1; Tataran, Lavinia 10-1-1; Wiesmann, Kelly 9-0-3; Claypoole, Blair 9-1-4; Hole, Andrea 9-2-1; Gavin, Mandi 4-0-1; Meade, Taylor 0-1-0; Auxilien, Caitlyn 0-1-0; Totals 53-6-7.0. (Assists) – Gavin, Mandi 38. (Dig leaders) – Auxilien, Caitlyn 15; Hole, Andrea 15

Memphis (5-9) (Kills-aces-blocks) – JOVANOVIC, Marija 12-1-1; HAWKINS, Altrese 10-1-0; TEIVANE, Viktorija 9-0-0; ZIMMERMAN, Veronica 3-0-0; HAWKINS, Lauren 3-1-4; KOSTIC, Maja 3-1-0; MEYER, Katie 2-0-2; LOUIE, Jaden 2-0-0; Totals 44-4-6.0. (Assists) – ZIMMERMAN, Veronica 27. (Dig leaders) – PETRONIJEVIC, A. 18; TEIVANE, Viktorija 17