JONESBORO, Ark. (10/24/19) – Fresh off a road sweep at Little Rock, the Arkansas State volleyball team continues its three-match road swing Friday and Saturday down in Louisiana.

There, the Red Wolves (12-7, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference) are set to face Louisiana-Monroe (10-13, 1-7) on Friday night followed by a Saturday night showdown in Lafayette against Louisiana (7-14, 3-5). A-State is riding a 34-match winning streak against the Warhawks and is looking to win for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings against the Ragin' Cajuns.

Match Information
Dates: Oct. 25-26

Schedule:
Friday, Oct. 25:
6:00 p.m. – Arkansas State (12-7, 3-4) at ULM (10-13, 1-7) (LIVE STATS)

Saturday, Oct. 5:
6:30 p.m. – Arkansas State at Louisiana (7-14, 3-5) (LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE)

Series History vs. ULM & Louisiana

Record vs. ULM: 41-5
Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (11/9/2018 – Monroe, La.)
Streak: A-State, 34
Restrepo vs. ULM: 1-0

Record vs. Louisiana: 49-16
Last Meeting: L, 0-3 (11/11/2018 – Lafayette, La.)
Streak: Louisiana, 1
Restrepo vs. Louisiana: 1-1

Quick Hitters

•  - This season marks the 45^th year of volleyball at Arkansas State, owning an all-time mark of 1,056-540-5 (.661).
•  - Arkansas State is looking to extend its winning streak against Louisiana-Monroe to 35 matches.
•  - Arkansas State is a perfect 37-0 since 2017 when taking the first two sets. See page 5 of match notes for more.
•  - Under first-year head coaches, the Red Wolves are 147-103 overall.
•  - A-State has allowed the fewest service aces in the Sun Belt, just 68 through 71 sets played - 17 fewer than the No. 2 spot (Troy, 80). The Red Wolves give up less than one ace per set.
•  - The Scarlet and Black is the only team in the conference with three players who hold 50 or more blocks on the year.
•  - The Red Wolves own the second-lowest hitting percentage defense in the Sun Belt Conference, holding foes to a .171 clip. That mark ranks 40th nationally (as of 10/23).
•  - Through the first 19 matches, A-State has tallied 25 total double-double performances. Through 19 in 2018, the Red Wolves totaled 17 double-doubles. A-State's 2019 pace is the best by a Red Wolves team since before 2010.

Know the Foe: Texas State & UT Arlington

•  - Louisiana-Monroe enters Friday's match having lost eight of its last nine since Sun Belt play began, with the lone win coming on Oct. 17 at Georgia Southern. In the eight losses, the Warhawks only claimed two sets. ULM is led by Kate Blasingame, who ranks fourth in the conference in total attacks (725) and fifth in aces (29). Mikaela Worley leads the Warhawks with 246 kills, while Albany Schaffer has collected 243 digs to pace the squad.
•  - The Red Wolves own a commanding 41-5 lead in the series and have won 34 in a row. The last time A-State dropped a set to ULM was in 2012 in Monroe in a 3-1 victory.
•  - On Saturday, the Red Wolves will head further south to Lafayette to take on Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns are among the league's best in total attacks (2nd - 2,882) and digs (1st - 1,303). UL enters the weekend having won two straight, defeating Georgia Southern and Georgia State on the road to halt a four-match skid. Avery Breaux leads the Cajuns' offense with 570 assists, which ranks seventh in the conference. Defensively, Tia Jade Smith owns 56 total blocks to rank seventh in the league, while Hannah Ramirez sits fifth in the conference in total digs (312). Hali Wisnoski also leads the Ragin' Cajuns in both kills (200) and total attacks (767).
•  - In the lengthy series, A-State owns a 49-16 advantage and has won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Welcome to the (Block) Party

•  - In 2019, the Red Wolves have amassed 148.5 blocks, which ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference entering the weekend. A-State also ranks second in the league in solo blocks (51).
•  - Entering Friday's match, Arkansas State is the only team in the conference with three players owning 50 or more blocks on the season.
•  - Freshman Kendahl Davenport ranks fifth in total blocks in the league (62).

“My Friends Called Me 'Ace.'”

•  - A-State has been solid behind the service line in 2019, totaling 105 service aces through the first 19 contests, which ranks seventh in the league.
•  - That total is the most by an Arkansas State team since the 2011 team served an astounding 129 aces through the first 19 outings.
•  - In comparison, the Red Wolves served 95 aces through 19 matches in 2018.
•  - Defensively, A-State has only allowed 68 aces, which ranks first in the league by a wide margin. The second-fewest aces given up is 80 by Troy.

Double Vision

•  - In 19 matches, Arkansas State players totaled 25 double-doubles to open the year, led by seven from Peyton Uhlenhake and Malgorzata Andersohn. That team total bests the 2018 mark through 19 (17) and is the most since before 2010.
•  - Julianna Cramer and Macey Putt have each accounted for five and Hannah Cox has one.
•  - In 2018, the Red Wolves totaled 33, with Macey Putt tied for second on the team with 8.

First Set Is Key … Second Set Also Helps

•  - Winning the first set is always a great start to a Red Wolves' victory. In 2018, A-State was nearly unbeatable after taking the first set, going 16-3.
•  - Over the past two-plus seasons, the Red Wolves are 44-9 when going up 1-0 in the match.
•  - If you extend that trend into the second set, A-State was 14-0 when it took the first two sets in 2018, and 37-0 dating back to 2017.
•  - This season, the Red Wolves are 9-0 when taking leads of 1-0 and 2-0.

Defense! (Clap Clap) Defense! (Clap Clap)

•  - Defense has been a staple of Arkansas State's success in recent years. In 2018, the Red Wolves were 8-2 when holding opponents to a hitting percentage of under .200.
•  - This year, A-State held 11 of its first 12 opponents to hitting percentages of below .200 to open the year (the one team being nationally-ranked Rice, who hit .226). As of Oct. 24, the Red Wolves own the No. 2 opposing attack percentage in the Sun Belt Conference, holding foes to a mark of just .171.

Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.