POSTMATCH INTERVIEWS
Coach Van Norden
Sara Hammoutene
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers volleyball team (2-2) got off to a fast start and cruised to a three-set victory over the Mississippi Valley state Devilettes, winning 25-10, 25-20, 25-9 at the Human Performance Center on Tuesday night.
The Privateers raced out to an early 10-1 lead as Mississippi Valley State had four attack errors by the time the first timeout was called. New Orleans was able to coast from there behind a balanced attack, led by
Cara Sander and
Taylor Berry.
Coach
Millicent Van Norden stated about the win, "I'm proud of the girls and the way they defended the home court in front of a great crowd. Cara has been really strong for us, and I challenged the rest our hitters to become more involved and they stepped up and did a great job tonight."
The Privateers had a little more trouble overcoming Mississippi Valley State in the second set. After appearing to earn a point to move ahead 6-4, a call was changed and the score was flipped to 5-5. The Devilettes won the next four rallies, and the Privateers were playing from behind. New Orleans eventually tied it at 19-19, and an ace by Berry keyed an 8-1 run to close out the second set.
In the third and final set, the Privateers were once again in complete command, building a 20-3 advantage. The service game was in full force as New Orleans racked up 14 aces. Sander had six aces and Berry added three.
In the kill department, Sander led the way with 11 kills. Berry added eight, and freshmen,
Mikayla Sellers-Wiebe and
Rondolyn Bryant added seven and six kills respectively.
Celeste Ramirez led the way in digs with 10.
Sara Hammoutene had 32 assists and five digs along with three kills.
Mississippi Valley State was led by Halle Gayten and Halee Clark who each contributed five kills. Kayondra Hood and Alexandria Garland had five assists. The Devilettes had 13 digs on the night as a team.
New Orleans will next face Arkansas-Pine Bluff as part of the UNO Invitational. The match is set for 7 p.m. at the Human Performance Center.
