LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Volleyball program kicks off the preseason competition schedule for its 50th anniversary season on Saturday, August 15 as head coach Kristi Gray and the squad hold the annual Vermilion and White Scrimmage.
First serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at E.K. Long Gym (500 E. St. Mary Blvd.).
Admission for the scrimmage – and all UL Volleyball matches throughout the season – is free and open to the public with doors opening 60 minutes before the event.
Main lobby concessions will be open for fans to purchase food, snacks and beverages. Spectators are reminded that the athletics department enforces a clear bag policy at E.K. Long Gym. To learn more about the policy, click HERE.
Fans of the Vermilion and White will get a preview of the 2026 edition of the Ragin' Cajuns. Louisiana returns the vast majority of its 2025 roster, returning 14 players including offensive weapons Marlee Ervin, Grace Sweeney and Jazmine Gaston, setters Ryleigh Garis and Nene Hawkins, leading middle blocker Lindsey Henry and libero Kennedy Gustafson.
Competition in the intrasquad scrimmage will consist of three sets of play, with the final frame to 15.
Following the conclusion of play, a post-match autograph session will be held where fans can collect an official team poster.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Ragin’ Cajuns conclude preseason play with a road exhibition match at LSU on Saturday, August 22 at 1:00 p.m. at the PMAC in Baton Rouge.
Louisiana officially kicks off the program’s 50th anniversary season from Saturday-Sunday, August 29-30 at the Texas State Invitational in San Marcos, Texas before opening the home slate on September 1 vs. McNeese.
ABOUT LOUISIANA
Louisiana (15-11, 7-9 SBC) has produced a winning overall record in four of the previous five seasons with head coach Kristi Gray who is entering her sixth season leading the program in the fall of 2026.
Last season, Louisiana displayed a balanced offense with five different players accounting for 150-plus kills and ranked Top 100 nationally and among the Top 3 in the Sun Belt Conference in kills per set (13.28) and hitting percentage (.238).
The 18-member roster for the 2026 Louisiana Volleyball season includes 14 returners from the 2025 roster.
The 6-2 setter duo of Ryleigh Garis and Nene Hawkins, outside hitters Marlee Ervin and Grace Sweeney and opposite hitter Jazmine Gaston, who each produced 150-plus kills, plus middle blocker Lindsey Henry who posted 88 blocks in her collegiate debut, return from a Ragin' Cajuns squad that ranked Top 3 in the SBC in offense (kills per set and hitting percentage).
The Ragin' Cajuns continue to raise the bar in fan involvement, breaking the single-season total attendance record with 9,518 fans attending across the 13-match home slate at E.K. Long Gym in the 2025 season – the third time in four years establishing a new mark. Twice during the season, a new single-match record was set: Aug. 29 vs. Texas Southern (984) and Oct. 3 vs. App State (989).
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsVB), Facebook (/RaginCajunsVB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsVB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Volleyball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Fans can support the volleyball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Back Reaux Club (click here).