Lafayette, LA – (Contributed) – November 2, 2024 – A balanced offense and stifling defense helped the Arkansas State volleyball team to its fifth straight win Saturday – a 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-15) sweep over Louisiana inside Earl K. Long Gym.
The Red Wolves (20-4, 10-2 SBC) eclipsed the 20-win mark for the first time since 2017 and held the Ragin’ Cajuns (6-15, 2-8) to a .093 attack percentage, while siding out over 70 percent of the time.
Four players had at least five kills for A-State, led by Devyn Lewis’ 10 kills on 24 error-free swings resulting in a team-best .417 clip. A-State hit .246 as a squad, with Kaitlin Whitlock adding eight kills and Erin Madigan doling out 20 assists. Behind the service line, the Scarlet and Black served seven aces – three by Sarah Martinez.
A-State took the lead and never looked back in the opening set, surging out to as much as a 10-point lead when a Whitlock kill made it 22-12. Haley Glunz served an ace to seal the set, giving the Red Wolves a 1-0 lead in the contest.
The hosts kept it close in the second set, with A-State’s lead being no larger than five points. Louisiana pulled even at 23-all on a block by Abby Cunningham but kills from Madigan and Grace Wiley (6 kills) clinched the set and gave A-State a 2-0 advantage.
After the Red Wolves took the first three points of the third frame, Louisiana used a 6-2 run to pull ahead 6-5, but that would be the Ragin’ Cajuns’ final lead of the day. Daedrianna Cail recorded a block to spark a 9-0 run that made it 14-6, and then A-State later expanded its lead to as much as 11. Following a Chelsea Gilmore kill to save a match point, Reese Watters ended the sweep with a kill.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State returns home to host South Alabama in a two-match series that will decide the Sun Belt West Division. First serve in Friday’s match is slated for 6 p.m., with Saturday’s home finale set for a 1 p.m. start.