Lady Raiders Defeat Louisiana-Lafayette in Sun Belt Home Opener

Murfreesboro, Tenn. - In what some would consider a minor upset, the Middle Tennessee volleyball team defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 30-27, 30-18, 20-30, 30-19 Friday night in Murphy Center. Middle Tennessee came out in game one and two on fire and were ready to defend their home court. It was a team that had a .279 hitting percentage in the first game and a whopping .533 hitting percentage in game two.

"I told the team they needed to come out tonight and be aggressive," said Head Coach Lisa Kissee. "We haven't been doing that and I think that is what has been missing on this team."

Aggressive play paid off for junior Katie Thiesen who recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs. Karisse Baker and Shakeithia Deckard also had double figure kills with 12 and 15 respectively.

It was the first Sun Belt Conference win in the young season for the Lady Raiders and the first conference loss for the Ragin Cajuns. Middle Tennessee improves to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the conference while ULL falls to 7-4 and 2-1 in the conference.

Middle Tennessee will host Western Kentucky Saturday at 5 p.m. in Murphy Center.

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