NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers asserted command early in the fifth set and never let up as they staved off a game Southern Jaguars squad for a 3-2 (17-25, 26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 15-4) win on Friday afternoon in the opening match of the New Orleans Invitational.
After Southern earned the first point of the final set, the Privateers quickly settled into a rhythm behind two free points and a
Courtney Roundtree kill. Then
Molly Kehoe came up with a thunderous block that further set the Privateers on the path to controlling the fifth set.
New Orleans built an insurmountable lead as their defense at the net and in the back row resulted in more attack errors (4) than kills (2) for Southern. The Privateers had three blocks in the final set including a tandem rejection from Kehoe and
Ava Kennon to end the match.
It was a match that featured several wild swings of momentum. The Jaguars hit the ground running as they built an 18-9 lead in the opening set. The Jaguars hit .417 in the first set of the day.
New Orleans turned things around by battling through a tough second set. New Orleans erased an 18-13 deficit with a run of six straight points. After fighting off the Jaguars' first look at set point and forcing extra rallies, the Privateers got two key kills from Roundtree before
Ryan Williams polished off the set with a kill of her own.
The Privateers went on a 6-1 run to close out the third set in their favor after the score was level at 19-19. Three straight kills by
Karen Cordero Barr helped set the stage for that run. The fourth set saw the Jaguars score the first eight points as they forced the fifth and deciding set.
INSIDE THE BOX
Cordero posted a double-double behind 16 kills and 13 digs with a .402 attack percentage. Roundtree made her season debut and chipped in eight kills with two total blocks.
Jalynn Gunderson also made her collegiate debut and added four kills.
Kennon finished with 11 kills and three total blocks. Williams added seven kills and only had one error in 14 attempts for a .429 attack percentage.
Vera Beltrame added 21 assists while
Defne Eciroglu contributed 20 assists.
Lani Alleman had 11 digs and three service aces.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will face ULM on Saturday at 12 p.m. before finishing the tournament with Southern at 7 p.m.
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