PHOTO GALLERY | HIGHLIGHTS
NEW ORLEANS – In an I-10 rivalry renewed on the volleyball court, Louisiana-Lafayette defeated New Orleans 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-22) at the Human Performance Center on Tuesday night.
The loss ended a two-match home win streak for UNO (7-13), which received a team-high six kills from
Laila Hansen.
Marti Richmiller and
Brionne Smith added five kills apiece for the Privateers.
UNO setter
Ariane Labrzycki distributed 20 assists with
Lauren Levy leading the Privateers with eight digs. The hosts blocked six ULL (13-11) attack attempts in the match with Smith getting a hand on four of the stuffed efforts.
The Ragin' Cajuns hit .295 for the match, receiving a boost from setter Mandi Gavin, who totaled 39 assists in the contest. Gavin's effort allowed her to become just the fourth player in ULL history to top 3,000 assists for a career.
Kelly Weismann and Blair Claypoole led the Cajun attack with 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Lavina Tataran contributed nine additional kills for the visiting squad.
The first set featured 11 ties and six lead changes with UNO's three-point lead at 4-1 representing the biggest advantage for either team until the Cajuns closed the set with seven straight points to break a tie at 18-all. Tataran tallied a kill each of her six attempts in the frame including the final tally to lift ULL to the 25-18 victory.
With momentum on their side, the Cajuns utilized a .562 hitting percentage to take the second set 25-14. ULL broke open the scoring by winning 4 of 5 points following a 2-all tie before closing the frame with a 7-0 rally for the second straight stanza.
As they had in the previous two sets, the Cajuns got on a hot streak in the second half of the stanza. With the score knotted at 13 following consecutive Labrzycki service aces, ULL reeled off 8 of 9 points to gain control. The Privateers would put forth a run of their own to get within two points before the Cajuns closed out the set 25-22.
UNO will next take to the court on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. at McNeese State. The Privateers' final home match is slated for Thursday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. against Centenary.
