Suffering Season-Ending Injury, Louisiana Volleyball Star Retires From NCAA With Perfect Finish

On November 15, the E. K. Long Gym witnessed a storybook finish. It was Senior Day, and the home team, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball, set the tone in that way only. How? Keep guessing, folks. Actually, the lineup included a senior who had missed the entire season. However, the motivated squad had been determined to take the victory against the spirited Georgia Southern. The job was not a cakewalk. 

In the Saturday night game, the Georgia Southern had aces like Reagan Barth and Jillian Gray. Therefore, Louisiana volleyball had to add something extra to snatch the victory. Meanwhile, something memorable happened and the Cajuns’ fans felt tears rolling from their eyes. 

The Louisiana volleyball fans witness stars align to set everything in place

The Louisiana volleyball seniors, Siena DeCambra and Cami Hicks entered the Saturday night game, eyeing to end their career on a pleasant note. However, their wish came to life as the Cajuns defeated Georgia by a 3-1 scoreline (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 25-16). Hicks made her contribution with nine blocks. That stunning score set her at the top of the chart of players with the most number of blocks in a single season. In the meantime, something remarkable happened with DeCambra. On Saturday, she stepped into the E. K. Long Gym for the first time this season. Unfortunately, it was her last game in the Cajuns’ jersey as well. So, her teammates decided on something. 

In the penultimate moment, they decided the all-conference setter to serve the walk-off ace. Hold on! Magic hadn’t yet touched the arena. In a few seconds, the senior gleefully accepted the offer and charged the opponent with a valiant serve. The libero of Georgia Southern missed touching the ball, and the point followed in Louisiana volleyball’s box. Siena’s teammates and fans joined the celebration. Meanwhile, on November 16, the Instagram handle of Ragin Cajun continued the fanfare by sharing the clip with the caption, “Storybook Finish.” What could be better than this for someone who had to bow out from the season because of her injury in September? 

Back in September, her ACL injury left Siena DeCambra in a complicated state. On Instagram, she had to write, “This is obviously not the way I planned for my last year to go, but God has a plan for me and I can’t wait to see where he leads me…To go into more detail of what happened. I tore both my ACL and meniscus and sprained other ligaments in my knee. I am currently on the road towards recovery but i am truly blessed of the people.” But 60 days later, here she is, finishing off her collegiate career in style. And folks, Sienna has had pretty good numbers and a motivating story in that career. 

Leaving softball behind, the Hawaiian found her love in volleyball 

Born in the Hawaiian capital, Honolulu, Siena DeCambra felt her initial love for softball. But later, her sister, Yala’s fall for volleyball channeled into her. Since then, there has been no looking back. On her high school volleyball team, DeCambra registered as a freshman. Soon, the love turned into life. She entered the club level. The transition did not stop there. Her scintillating performances and her inclination to volleyball landed her 4,000 miles away from her nativity at last in Lafayette. That was a big deal for the Hawaiian player, as she had stepped into an unknown world. Nonetheless, with time, DeCambra settled in. 

Fortunately, the Maui native found the entire Louisiana volleyball team beside her, supporting her every time. “The coaches have really been helping me every day in practice on how to be better every day,” she once claimed. As usual, the positive atmosphere impacted her. In her junior season, Sienna reached the magic figure of 1,110 in the number of assists in the Sun Belt Conference. It was her first single season when her career touched 1,000 assists. In 2022, she advanced a few miles on the same avenue. But she ended with 506 assists. 

Remember, she joined the Louisiana volleyball team in 2021 and 2022; she totaled ‌1,234 assists. Those numbers speak for her consistency. The hosts didn’t miss this consistency, however. As a result, in 2023, Siena DeCambra made a place in the All-Sun Belt Second Team (2023) and All-Louisiana First Team (2023). Now, with her graduation, a chapter in the Louisiana volleyball has ended.