MONROE, La. – The ULM volleyball team dropped a Sun Belt
Conference match to Arkansas State during Friday evening's Senior Night in the
ULM Activity Center falling 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-16).
ULM seniors Christy Tribble and Stephanie Wardach were
honored before the start of the evening's contest for their dedication to the
Warhawk volleyball program over the past four seasons. As the starting libero
all four seasons at ULM, Tribble recently moved to second on the all-time dig
leaders list with a 1,197 career digs. Wardach, who also started all four
seasons as an outside hitter, has accumulated 503 kills in her time at ULM and
currently ranks second on the team in kills this season with 142 kills.
Both seniors led the Warhawks offensively and defensively
for the evening as Wardach collected a team-high seven kills and Tribble
contributed a match-high 14 digs. Freshman middle blocker Iren Marinova and
sophomore right side hitter Tetiana Sukach contributed five and four kills,
respectively, while freshman outside hitter Blanca Ocana chalked up 11 assists.
The Red Wolves' Allison Kearney earned the lone double-double
of the contest with a match-high 33 assists and a team-high 12 digs. Cayla
Fielder and Jasmine Terry both reached double-digits in kills with 11 each
while current SBC Defensive Player of the Week Megan Baska contributed 11 digs.
Arkansas State (13-9, 7-3 SBC) took an early 5-0 lead in the
first set before a kill by Wardach put ULM (0-19, 0-10) on the board. An 8-4
run gave the Red Wolves a 13-5 advantage before the Warhawks responded with
four unanswered points to narrow the lead 13-9. Arkansas State increased its
lead to 19-12 with a 6-3 streak before six final unanswered kills gave the Red
Wolves the first set win 25-12.
The Warhawks grabbed a 4-1 lead in the beginning of the
second set before three quick Red Wolf kills evened the score 4-4. Another tie
ensued before Arkansas State took control of the lead with a 13-7 streak
including two stretches of four consecutive points to go up 17-11. A final 8-5
run awarded Arkansas State the second set win 25-16.
Each team traded points during the beginning of the third
set with neither team gaining more than a one point advantage until the 7-7
mark when four unanswered kills gave the Red Wolves an 11-7 lead. A narrow 4-3
run in favor of Arkansas State made the score 15-10 before four consecutive
points nearly doubled the Red Wolves' lead 19-10. An even 6-6 run ended the
third set in favor of Arkansas State 25-16.
The Warhawks continue a three-match homestand Sunday
afternoon when ULM hosts SBC rival UALR at 2 p.m. in the ULM Activity Center. The
face-off marks the first annual “Dig Pink” match to benefit the Side-Out
Foundation and will feature contest giveaways and various promotional
activities to raise money and promote awareness in conjunction with Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.
