For 2025, the Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball team currently holds 10 wins and six losses as we approach the latter half of the season. Led by Head Coach Kristi Gray, the Cajuns have travelled as far west as Texas and as far east as Georgia over the course of seven home games, seven away games, and two games held at a neutral, third-party location..
The 17-player team contains 11 new players for this year’s roster, a big change compared to last year. The blend of students, from veteran upperclassmen to freshmen and transfers, has brought a variety of skills to the court. The team currently contains four liberos, four outside hitters, four middle blockers, two opposite hitters and three setters.
The season began impressively strong with a three-game win streak in the opening weekend against Texas Southern University, Tarleton State University and University of New Orleans. Following a loss to Stephen F. Austin State University, the Cajuns had another three-game winning streak against Sam Houston State University, Abilene Christian University and Alcorn State University.
After a loss to Ole Miss, the Cajuns picked up a third three-game win streak against Southern University, Nicholls State University, and Texas State University, before losing their last game of September in a second match against Texas State.
October was kicked off with one win and one loss in two matches against Appalachian State University. That weekend, the Cajuns held a pink-out game for breast cancer awareness month on Oct. 4; both the Cajuns and the crowd donned bright pink attire.
This past weekend, both games against the University of Southern Mississippi ended in a loss. The hope is to pick up another win, if not a fourth winning streak, in the next game which will take place on Oct. 16 at 6:00 p.m. in a home game against Troy University. All home volleyball games for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette take place in the Earl K. Long gymnasium.
This is Gray’s 5th year coaching the University’s volleyball team, being named head coach in 2021. Previously, Gray served as head volleyball coach at Odessa College, a two-year institution out of Odessa, Texas. Comparing the two, Gray noted, “One thing that I loved about coming here was having the resources, with the assistant coaches, the strength coach, the athletic trainer and the administration…everything that they were able to provide here for me to be successful.”
Also, since Odessa is a two-year institution, Gray remarked that she had to recruit an entirely new team pretty much every year.
The player retention and network of athletic assistance helps both Gray and the Cajuns put their all into every season.
When it comes to coaching, Gray prioritizes both high energy and transparency with her players, saying, “I want to help shape them into the best people that they can be on and off the court.”
She explained, “I’m very proud of what this team has accomplished so far this year… we’re continuing to grow and get better everyday.” The team is training extensively, up to 20 hours per week, across Monday to Thursday.
Over the previous years, the Cajuns finished with a win-to-loss ratio of 15-11 in 2021, 15-13 in 2022, 19-13 in 2023 and 9-16 in 2024. With 10 wins so far in 2025, the Cajuns are going strong, with 10 more games to look forward to across the rest of this month and into Nov. 14.
One of the biggest things Gray attributes to the Cajuns’ strong performance is good communication and great culture. Specifically Gray mentioned, “We have a really good group in terms of how they get along with each other.” She also noted that this is one of the most athletic teams they have had.
The blend of intense training, strong players and an even stronger team bond keep motivation high.
After each point scored by the Cajuns, fellow players on the sidelines are just as hyped as the crowd seeing the team succeed, from sets to spikes.
Gray has so far led the Cajuns to 68 wins.
This year’s volleyball crowd has had more than five thousand people in attendance already. Also, the team has already broken their own single-game record attendance twice this season, with the current record-high attendance in one game being 989 people.
The team is on track for more record-setting attendance as the semester continues and their fanbase grows.
If the Cajuns hold strong, they could be a formidable contender within the Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt Conference championships will take place in Foley, Alabama from Nov. 20-23; the announcement of which teams will be in attendance is eagerly anticipated.