CONWAY, Ark. - The ULM volleyball team fell in
a pair of match sweeps to Louisiana Tech (25-22, 25-10, 25-17) and Air Force
(25-16, 25-12, 25-10) on Saturday. Mahogany Dilonga led the Warhawk defense with
12 total blocks to conclude the Sugar Bear Classic and earn all-tournament honors.
Overall for the tournament, Mari O'Neal
smashed 36 kills, Meghan McCoy tallied 88 assists, Lacey Dietlin dug 39 balls.
It was Dilonga's first all-tournament honor of her career.
ULM vs.
Louisiana Tech Recap:
O'Neal recorded the matches only
double-double, 15 kills and 12 digs, for ULM. McCoy chipped in 29 assists,
while Dietlin dug 10 balls.
Louisiana Tech was led by Natasha Kolunija's
13 kills. Bianca Bin recorded 24 assists, while Lori Hunsucker and Jennifer
Goodin added 16 and 11 digs, respectively.
Following an O'Neal kill to cut the ULM
deficit to 12-11 in the opening set, Louisiana Tech rattled off
five-consecutive points for a 17-11 lead. The Warhawks fought back in the end
of the frame scoring seven of the last 11 points, but it wasn't enough as the
Lady Techsters claimed the set 25-22.
Louisiana Tech ran away with the second frame
behind a remarkable 18-4 run, in which Kolunija smashed three kills, to take
the second set 25-10 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Lady Techsters jumped out to a quick 5-1
advantage following a pair of Kolunija kills. ULM fought back near the end of
the match when Ashley Bland and Lacy Bates record back-to-back kills. Dilonga followed
with three-consecutive kills to cut the deficit to 23-17. Louisiana Tech went
on to claim the third set, 25-17, and match after a pair of kills.
ULM vs.
Air Force Recap:
O'Neal and Dilonga concluded the match with
four and three kills, respectively, for ULM. McCoy finished with nine assists,
while Dietlin and Michelle Messing each had eight digs.
Nichole Stilwell finished with a match-high
10 kills and a .438 attacking percentage for Air Force. Jessica Hellman chipped
in 20 assists, while Caroline Kurtz served five aces.
Overall in the match, the Falcons finished
with a .304 attacking percentage compared to the Warhawks -.097 attacking
percentage.
In all three sets of the match sweep, Air
Force at one point had a 10-plus point lead and twice had an 8-0 scoring run. During
the second frame, the Falcons began with an 8-1 run that included five service
aces.
ULM returns to the friendly confines of the campus'
Activity Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. for a non-conference showdown against Southern
Miss. The Golden Eagles took the previous meeting, 3-0, between the two schools
on Aug. 29 during the Samford Invitational.
