MOBILE, Ala. - After winning the first set and claiming two
early leads, the ULM women's volleyball team couldn't hang on as South Alabama
came back to win three-straight sets and earn a 3-1 victory (25-18, 24-26,
19-25, 13-25) Saturday evening in Jag Gym.
Samantha Morse had an impressive performance offensively,
ending two kills shy of her career-high with 17 while hitting at a scorching
.517 clip. Zuzana Markova earned her seventh triple-double this season after
collecting team-highs in assists and digs with 20 and 15, respectively, along
with 16 kills. Meghan McCoy earned a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs while
Blanca Ocana also hit double-digits in kills with 10.
Four Lady Jaguars reached double-figures in kills led by
Olivia Mohler and Lea Thurm with 15 and 14, respectively, while Samia Salomao
and Melissa Waelter each had 11. Salomao picked up a double-double with a
team-high 13 digs as well while Katariina Kananen had a match-high 50 assists.
Each team traded points in the first set until kills by
Alannah Cullum and Ocana and a Lacey Dietlin service ace fueled a four-point
spree to more than double ULM's lead early on 9-4. The Warhawks continued to
extend their lead with a 7-5 run before South Alabama strung together three
points and inch within four points 16-12. ULM wasn't fazed, however, and
limited the Lady Jaguars with a 10-6 streak including two final kills by Morse
and Markova to end the first set 25-18.
The second game remained extremely close for the entire set,
seeing six ties and three lead changes during the first half before
three-straight kills by Morse allowed ULM to grab a 17-13 advantage. The
Warhawks continued to control the set until two South Alabama kills and an
error knotted the score 19-19, and the Lady Jaguars used a final 9-7 run to
snatch the second set away from the Warhawks 26-24.
The Warhawks jumped out to another early lead in the third
set on the strength of two three- and four-point streaks to take a commanding
10-4 advantage. However, the Lady Jaguars responded with an 8-2 run to even the
score 12-12 and regained a 15-13 lead with a three-point spree. ULM knotted the
score once more until South Alabama took control for the remainder of the set,
including four-straight kills by Mohler, Salomao and Thurm to win 25-19.
The Lady Jaguars scored six-straight points out of the gate
to take a 7-2 advantage, and the Warhawks stopped the streak with two points
before South Alabama all but ended the match with seven-consecutive kills for a
14-4 lead. A nearly even 11-9 run ended the set with South Alabama winning
25-13.
ULM ends its month-long roadstand when it faces in-state
rival UL-Lafayette Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Lafayette, La.
