MONROE, La. - The ULM volleyball team suffered another loss
at the hands of the top-ranked team in the Sun Belt Conference Western Kentucky
as it extended its league winning streak to six in a row Saturday evening with a 3-0 (17-25, 21-25, 15-25) sweep in the
ULM Activity Center.
Zuzana Markova led the Warhawks with her all-around effort
that included 10 kills, 11 assists and 11 digs to notch her 11th
triple-double this season. Samantha Morse was one kill shy of reaching double-digits
in kills with 9. Meghan McCoy collected a team-best 14 assists and Marcela
Urbina had a match-best 19 digs. Mahogany Dilonga had a match-best-tying four
blocks and Markova stuffed three.
Jordyn Skinner earned the lone double-double for Western
Kentucky with 11 kills and 10 digs while Lindsay Williams had an evening-best
13 kills and Paige Wessel contributed 11. Two other Lady Toppers had
double-digit digs with Sarah Rogers and Ashley Potts collecting 14 and 10,
respectively, and Melanie Stuntsman had a match-best 40 assists.
ULM (9-11, 3-7 SBC) stayed close for the beginning of the
set by forcing two ties and were just a point back 11-10 when Western Kentucky
(23-3, 10-1 SBC) used an 8-1 run including two three-point streaks to grab a
19-12 advantage. A final 6-5 run ended the first set 25-17.
A close battle ensued again in the second set when a Lady Topper
kill and an attack error inched them ahead 18-14. The Warhawks responded with kills
by Dilonga and Markova to fuel a 5-1 run and even the score 19-19 and two more
ties followed until the 21-21 mark. Western Kentucky took control of the game
with four-straight points sparked by a Williams kill and won the set 25-21.
The Lady Toppers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third set
when ULM used back-to-back kills and an attack error to end their run 5-3. The
Warhawks maintained the deficit until three-straight points doubled Western
Kentucky's advantage 12-6. A service error swung the momentum back to ULM which
utilized a 6-2 run to come back within two points 14-12. However, the Warhawks
would score just three more times as the Lady Toppers grabbed a nine-point run
including streaks of four- and five-consecutive points to end the set 25-15.
ULM faces the Arkansas schools for the first time next
weekend in its final road trip of the season when it plays UALR Friday at 7
p.m. followed by Arkansas State Sunday at 1 p.m. in Sun Belt Conference action.
