RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech thwarted New Orleans' attempt to rally from a 2-0 deficit with a 3-2 (25-9, 25-18, 25-27, 21-25, 15-10) victory on Saturday afternoon.
LTU (4-3) controlled the match for the first two sets before momentum swung in favor of UNO (0-7).
Trailing 23-21 in the third set, a pair of kills by
Cara Sander coupled with a Techsters' attack error started the momentum shift in favor of the Privateers. UNO never trailed from that point forward in the frame with back-to-back kills from Sander and
Kelsea Hundtoft providing the squad with a 27-25 set win.
In the fourth set, UNO led by as many as four points at 21-17 before LTU knotted the match at 21-all. The Privateers then reeled off the set's final four points – receiving kills from Hundtoft and
Marti Richmiller along way the way – to force a fifth set.
The Techsters had the final say in the match, overcoming a 3-0 UNO advantage at the onset of the deciding frame. LTU moved ahead for good at 5-4 before utilizing a 7-3 run to close out the match.
Richmiller and Sander led UNO in defeat with 10 kills apiece with Hundtoft and
Alyssa Podwell contributing nine kills each.
Celeste Ramirez notched her first career double-double for the Privateers with 33 assists and 20 digs.
Lauren Levy was tops on the Privateer roster with 21 digs with Hundtoft also completing a double-double with 16 digs.
LTU was led in the victory by Rebecca Redgen with 18 kills. Maria Coelho contributed both offensively and defensively with 40 assists and 17 digs.
Next for the Privateers will be the team's home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Human Performance Center against crosstown rival Tulane. First serve is at 7 p.m. and admission is free of charge.
