LAFAYETTE, La. (11/1/24) – After dropping the opening set, the Arkansas State volleyball team never trailed in the final three sets, trouncing Louisiana 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-16) Friday night inside Earl K. Long Gym.
The Red Wolves (19-4, 9-2 SBC) limited the Ragin' Cajuns (6-14, 2-7) to just .108 hitting and recorded 11 blocks en route to winning their fourth match in a row and halting a seven-match skid in the all-time series.
Offensively, A-State hit .265 as a squad, led by Kaitlin Whitlock's 19-kill, 14-dig performance. The sophomore hit a blistering .333 on 51 swings, committing just two errors, while also serving two aces. Erin Madigan also had a double-double with 26 assists and a match-high 20 digs.
Reigning SBC Defensive Player of the Week Daedrianna Cail picked up where she left off, knocking down a match-high seven blocks to go along with nine kills on 20 error-free attacks (.450). Sarah Martinez also recorded double-digit digs, corralling 19.
A-State surged out to an early lead in the opening set, but the Cajuns later rallied to lead by as much as six at 21-15 later in the frame. The Red Wolves pulled within 22-20 on an ace by Madigan, and then a Cail kill knotted it up at 23-all. Louisiana would win the next two points, though, to take the set 25-23 and lead 1-0 in the match.
The Red Wolves quickly jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the second set and never looked back en route to leveling the match at a set apiece. Whitlock clinched the 25-18 set win with her 11th kill of the night.
Momentum continued in the third set, with the Scarlet and Black leading by as much as 11. Devyn Lewis recorded one of her three kills to set up set point before the hosts saved two points. One of Louisiana's 15 service errors ended the set, giving A-State a 2-1 lead.
Louisiana kept the score within two points early in the fourth set before A-State used a 5-0 run capped by a Haley Glunz block to expand the lead to 13-6. After the Cajuns pulled within three, the Red Wolves pushed their lead back out toeas much as eight, and ultimately clinched the victory on a kill by Cail.
NEXT UP
The Red Wolves take on the Ragin' Cajuns once more on Saturday, with first serve inside Earl K. Long Gym set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State Red Wolves Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
