LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – The HBU volleyball team returned to the court for the first time in a week after Hurricane Harvey cancelled its season-opening tournament, then the Huskies made quick work of Mississippi Valley State with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-8, 25-9) sweep in the morning, before holding off host Louisiana, 3-1 (26-24, 25-22, 27-29, 25-20), in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic Friday at Earl K. Long Gym.
"It was great to finally get back on the court again," HBU head coach
Trent Herman said. "It was like starting our season over. I am so proud of the way the team stuck together through this week and all that happened. We were very rusty early, but worked through it to find a rythm. Louisiana is a very good team that challenged us with its fast-tempo offense, but we did a great job of closing out sets."
Senior outside hitters
Jessica Wooten and
Bailey Banks and freshman setter
Abby Gargus each recorded double-doubles in turning back Louisiana in the afternoon match. Wooten had 14 kills and 21 digs, while Banks led HBU with 16 kills and 17 digs and Gargus handed out 49 assists with 13 digs and four kills. Redshirt freshman right side
Ashtyn Richey added 11 kills and junior middle blocker
Kayla Davenport hit .529 with 10 kills. Senior middle blocker
Blair Gillard chipped in with eight kills and six blocks and senior libero
Hailey Erickson led the Huskies defensively with 22 digs.
Stacey Reilly led the Ragin' Cajuns (1-3) with 13 kills and 15 digs, while Nia Antoine had 11 kills, Chloe Cordell had nine and Hali Wisnoski eight. Jessica Bartczyszyn recorded 42 assists, 11 digs and four kills. Sydney Davis had 19 digs and Avery Breaux added 17.
The Huskies hit .208 for the match and the Ragin' Cajuns hit .152. HBU edged Louisiana in digs, 85-84, and blocks, 11-9, while each team had four aces.
In the first set, HBU scored three-straight points, with two kills by Banks, to take a 9-6 lead. The Huskies led by four at 21-17, but the Ragin' Cajuns scored three in a row to pull to within one. A kill by Reilly and a block gave Louisiana its first lead since 1-0, at 23-22, but Richey tied it at 23 with a kill. Reilly got the Ragin' Cajuns to set point with a kill, then committed a service error for another tie. Banks regained the lead for HBU, then an attack error by Louisiana gave the set to the Huskies, 26-24.
Neither team led by more than two points in the second set, until HBU scored four-straight points, capped with an ace by Gargus, to lead 14-10. Back-to-back kills by Reilly got the Ragin' Cajuns back to within one at 20-19, but the Huskies ripped off four-straight points on a pair of kills by Davenport and one apiece for Banks and Richey to get to set point. Louisiana kept the set alive on a pair of attack errors by HBU, but Banks finished it off with a kill for a 25-22 decision.
Louisiana took a 4-3 lead early in the third, but HBU scored four-straight to claim a three-point advantage. The Ragin' Cajuns tied the set, 8-8, then took a 13-11 lead. The two teams remained within a point of one another until the Huskies took a 19-17 lead, but the Ragin' Cajuns battled back and took a 23-21 lead. HBU scored the next two to tie the set , but a kill by Dree'Ana Abram gave Louisiana set point. Kills by Wooten and Banks put the Huskies at set point at 25-24, but a service error kept Louisiana alive. The Ragin' Cajuns took advantage and got kills from Wisnoskie and Antoine to take a 29-27 win to keep the match alive.
HBU got off to a fast start in the fourth, taking a 9-3 lead behind three kills by Wooten. After Louisiana closed the gap to 12-10, the Huskies reeled off a six-point run to extend the lead to eight. HBU looked poised to cruise to victory when an ace by Lewis put the Huskies up by nine at 21-12, but Louisiana scored the next four to get within five. An ace by Bartczyszyn made the score 23-20, but Banks put down a kill and an attack error by the Ragin' Cajuns gave the Huskies the match, 25-20.
Against MSVU, Wooten posted a double-double, hitting .643 with 10 kills and 12 digs, while Banks and Richey each added six kills. Gargus had 15 assists and six digs, while junior setter
Madison O'Brien dished out 12 assists. Lewis came up with eight digs and served up four aces.
Kalin Barnes led MSVU with six kills and nine digs, while Tylia Dixon had three kills. Jaime Polk recorded 11 assists, and Jessica Bell had eight digs.
The Huskies hit .316, while holding the Delta Devilettes to -.151. HBU outdug MVSU, 39-28, and had seven aces to MVSU's none. Each team had four blocks.
HBU scored five-straight points behind a pair of aces by Lewis to take a 9-4 lead in the first set, then another five-point run, which included a solo block by Davenport, extended the advantage to 16-7. Leading 19-11, the Huskies scored six of the last seven points and Wooten put the set away with a kill for a 25-12 win.
The Huskies scored 10 of the first 11 points in the second, with Lewis leading a nine-point run with two more aces. HBU extended the lead to 14-2 with four-straight points, then Gargus had back-to-back kills to make it 16-3. Five-straight points pushed the advantage to 20-4, then HBU scored the last three points to take the set, 25-8.
HBU jumped out to a 9-2 led in the third, with Richey chipping in with a pair of kills. The Huskies led 16-7, then scored nine of the last 11 points, with Wooten adding four kills down the stretch, before Richey put the match away for a 25-9 victory.
The Huskies wrap up the tournament when they face Jacksonville State Saturday at noon.
