South Alabama’s women’s volleyball team will travel to Lafayette, Louisiana, for a two-match series against Louisiana on October 24 and 25. The matches are set to take place at Earl K. Long Gym, with the first serve scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday and 1 p.m. CT on Saturday.
South Alabama enters the series with a record of 12-7 overall and 7-1 in Sun Belt Conference (SBC) play. The Jaguars are coming off a sweep against Southern Miss, where they did not lose a set.
Briana Wilson was named Defensive Player of the Week by the Sun Belt Conference after recording 42 digs in the previous series, averaging seven digs per set. Anna Loberg earned Setter of the Week honors for her performance, averaging 13.5 assists per set during South Alabama’s two straight-set wins over Southern Miss.
Wilson is currently third in the league with an average of 4.54 digs per set and has improved that figure to 4.71 in conference play, ranking second among her peers.
On offense, Sarah Gooch leads with an average of 3.39 kills per set and ranks eighth in kills within the conference while also being seventh in points at 3.89 per set. In SBC action specifically, Gooch is just under four kills per set (3.71), placing her fourth among offensive players, and she holds a .338 hitting percentage—seventh-best in league play.
Freshman Cambria Gaier has led South Alabama’s offense over the last four matches and tops the team with 29 aces this season, ranking fifth in the Sun Belt with an average of 0.40 aces per set.
Middle hitter Dalayla Blackwell stands fifth in blocks within the SBC (1.27), while redshirt freshman Alexa Strandberg has accumulated 69 total blocks this fall—including 16 solo—and is just outside the top ten in blocks per set at 0.96.
As a team, South Alabama holds third place in blocking within their conference (2.53 blocks/set) and is leading with a .280 hitting percentage during league games; defensively they have held opponents to a .192 hitting percentage during SBC matchups.
The all-time series between South Alabama and Louisiana dates back to 1977, with Louisiana holding a slight advantage at 36-25 across their previous meetings—all occurring during regular-season conference play—but South Alabama has won seven consecutive matches heading into this weekend’s contests.
Louisiana enters with an overall record of 11-7 (3-5 SBC), having split its recent home series against Troy; Cailin Demps leads their offense with an average of 3.51 kills per set—sixth best in conference—and Chelsea Gilmore holds fourth place for hitting percentage (.371). On defense, Kennedy Gustafson ranks fifth for digs (4.12), while Lindsey Henry is tied for eighth in blocks (1.05).
For more information or live updates on match day coverage visit USAJaguars.com or follow @SouthAlabamaVB on social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram.
