Fans are encouraged to view LamarCardinals.com for a recap of Tuesday's contest in case of power outages in the New Orleans area due to Isaac that impact the media relations office ability to update results..
University of New Orleans (0-0) at Lamar (1-3)
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2012 • 7 p.m. CST • Beaumont, Texas
Live Stats • Game Notes • UNO Twitter • Lamar Twitter
BEAUMONT, Texas – The University of New Orleans volleyball team will open its 2012 campaign with four matches in Texas, beginning with a 7 p.m. contest at Lamar on Tuesday night.
Live stats of the match will be available through LamarCardinals.com.
Due to Tropical Storm Isaac, the UNO volleyball program will leave from Beaumont on Tuesday and go straight to Houston following the completion of their match against LU. The Privateers will remain in Houston ahead of their tournament this weekend at Texas Southern.
Tuesday's match represents the start of the third season for UNO under head coach Kim Young-Buford.
Four players return from the 2011 team, of which three were regular starters. This group includes
Laila Hansen, who is the top returning hitter after averaging 2.76 kills per set alongside a .184 hitting percentage.
Hansen was second on the team in digs per frame with 2.53 while fellow returnee
Elena Villar ranked third with 2.26. Setters
Ryan Hamilton and
Andre'a Foote are the remaining two returnees.
Young-Buford will look to newcomers to add to the depth of the squad. Junior college transfers
Marti Richmiller and
Ariane Labrzycki figure to factor into the lineup, which could also feature freshman
Lauren Levy at the starting libero position.
Other newcomers include Grambling transfer
Nandi Brown and the freshman duo of
Taylor Berry and
Brionne Smith. Berry and Smith are natives to the Houston area and will be beginning their collegiate careers in their home state.
LU (1-3) was picked third in the Southland Conference preseason poll, though came away with just a single win in four opportunities last weekend. After falling 3-1 to Missouri-Kansas City and Houston Baptist, the Cardinals defeated Prairie View A&M 3-1 for their lone victory at the North Texas Mean Green Invitational.
LU struggled offensively through the four matches. Of the seven players on the Cardinals' roster to register at least 20 attack attempts, only two enter Tuesday with hitting percentages better than .140. As a squad, the LU offense is hitting .075 compared to a .177 mark for their foes.
Cortney Moore and Sierra Whitaker lead the Cardinals through four matches with 2.29 and 2.27 kills per set, respectively. Madi Martin is the team's featured setter with 6.8 assists a frame while Megan Schwartz holds down the back row with 3.73 digs a set.
Following Tuesday's match, the Privateers will resume their schedule on Friday against host Texas Southern and Mississippi Valley State in the TSU Invitational. The tournament concludes on Saturday against Prairie View A&M.
