NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans Volleyball team (9-8, 3-2 Southland) got off to a slow start and couldn't recover as McNeese State (7-12, 2-3 Southland) defeated the Privateers in three straight sets on Saturday afternoon at the Legacy Center in Lake Charles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
McNeese got off to a red hot start scoring seven of the first nine points of the match - forcing an early UNO time out. New Orleans kept scrapping, cutting the Cowgirl lead to 16-8 before eventually falling 25-13. McNeese hit .262 to New Orleans' .000 in the first set, while Cowgirl middle blocker Sanni Rantanen had seven kills in the opening frame.
New Orleans was undeterred in a back-and-forth second set. An early kill by Kristi Gomez gave New Orleans an early 3-2 lead. With the score tied at six apiece, Sydney Gott gave the Privateers a 7-6 lead after an assist by Kamryn Scroggins. Sophia Ewalefo tied the match at 15 after another assist from Scoggins before a quick 3-0 run gave McNeese an 18-15 lead. Following a ball handling error by Bailey Tillman, Gomez cut the Cowgirl lead back to three at 23-30 late in the second set before McNeese held on to win 25-21.
After a service ace by Tillman to open the third set, five Privateer attack errors gave McNeese a quick 6-1 lead. A kill by Ewalefo and a service ace by Scroggins made the score 12-7 McNeese before the Cowgirls reeled off eight of the next 11 points to take control of the final set, 20-11, on their way to a 25-15 set three victory.
INSIDE THE BOX
Gomez and Ewalefo both had eight kills for the Privateers while Scroggins had 25 assists, and Sheilah Purcell finished with 21 digs. The Privateers hit just .043 – including .000 in the first set and finished with 23 attack errors.
Rantanen led McNeese with 13 kills – including seven in the first set, and McNeese finished the match hitting .232 with just 10 attack errors. The Cowgirls hit .262 in the first set, and .232 in the second.
NEXT UP
New Southland member Texas A&M-Commerce travels to New Orleans for the first time on Oct. 6. First serve at the Human Performance Center is set for 6:30 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow @PrivateersVB on Twitter, @PrivateersVB on Instagram, like /PrivateersVB on Facebook and subscribe to the PrivateerAthletics YouTube channel.
