RUSTON – Coming off two wins at the Fullerton Invitational, the Louisiana Tech Volleyball Team is set to take on Alcorn State in the home opener on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, September 3, 6:30 CT
LOCATION: Ruston, La. (Thomas Assembly Center)
STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
SERIES RECORD: LA Tech, 7-0
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 | 8/29, 2015 | Houston
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (2-1)
LA Tech is off to their best start since 2021 after winning two matches at the Fullerton Invitational. The Bulldogs dropped the first match of the weekend against San Jose State, 3-0, before taking both from Cal State Fullerton, 3-1 and 3-0.
 
Rori Gray was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week after a stellar performance over the weekend. Gray was a force at middle blocker. She finished with 22 kills on a .409 hitting clip and chipped in six blocks.
 
Giulia Bonifacio and Charlize Williams also made a significant impact for the Bulldogs in California.
 
Bonifacio led the team in kills in all three matches. After having nine kills in the opening match, she hit .522 in the nightcap for 14 kills. On Saturday, she led the Bulldogs to a sweep with 11 kills and added three blocks.
 
Williams was consistent in her first two matches in a Bulldog uniform. She had four kills in the first match before adding five and three blocks in the second. She stepped it up on Saturday with seven kills and six blocks to anchor the Bulldog defense that limited Cal State Fullerton to a .069 hitting percentage.
 
McKenzie Johnson finished with 40 digs on the weekend, giving her 1,324 for her career. She moved passed Sarah Oesterling for sixth all-time in program history. She is just nine away from breaking into the top-5, where Heather Anderson sits with 1,333.
 
ABOUT ALCORN (0-2)
Alcorn dropped both matches on opening weekend. The Lady Braves fell to UAB 3-0 on Friday and 3-0 against Samford on Saturday.
 
Alcorn is led by Ramona Pulu, who is in the top 2 of four categories. Pulu leads the team with 14 assists and is second with five kills, 10 digs, and three blocks.
 
Erin Mims has a team-high seven kills to lead the offense. Harmonie Carswell and Jalayah Hamby lead the defensive side of the net. Carswell has 16 digs, while Jalayah Hamby has a team-high three blocks.
 
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Amber McCray
 
"There were many aspects of our team to be excited about returning from Cali, and we will look to carry that momentum into our home opener tomorrow against Alcorn State. This is the time of year when teams are still trying to figure out so much about themselves and how they can best succeed, so we cherish any opportunity to allow us to do that. I also think this group has done an excellent job of generating excitement for this team and this season, so we are thrilled to be back at the TAC competing in front of our home crowd."
 
THE SERIES
The Bulldogs have won all seven meetings with the Lady Braves, with only six being played on the court. The first official meeting in 1987 was deemed a forfeit by Alcorn, and the two teams first played two seasons later in 1989. Tech is 2-0 all-time at home in the series and has taken all 18 sets against Alcorn.
 
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