SAN MARCOS, Texas -- ULM (4-14, 0-2 Sun Belt) dropped a 3-0 decision at Texas State Sunday afternoon to conclude the opening weekend of conference play.
Freshman outside hitter Hope Pawlik led the Warhawks' offensive effort with seven kills on 23 swings. Junior middle blocker Alannah Cullum and freshman outside hitter Hadley Swartz added five kills each.
“Hope had a great match. She had no errors going into the third set but got blocked and she overcame that. She is finding her rhythm and she's getting healthier. Once she gets fully healthy, the sky's the limit for her,” ULM head volleyball coach Patrick Hiltz said.
Defensively, junior libero Marcela Araya inched closer to the 1,000-dig threshold by tallying 18 digs Sunday.
“If there is a good block attempt, Marcela will get to balls. Our block was well-formed today but Texas State went right through our hands all night. It was very frustrating,” Hiltz added.
The Bobcats (12-5, 2-0 Sun Belt) and Warhawks fought a very even battle in the early going of the first set. ULM led eight times, including as late as 16-15. However, Texas State closed out the opening frame on a 10-3 burst and close out the 25-19 victory.
“We played very well in the first set. We followed our plan and forced [Texas State] to make adjustments, however we made some errors too late in game one that gave them the edge. We did what we wanted to do, but we couldn't maintain it to close out the set,” Hiltz said.
The second set started with both teams trading early blows once again. After a 10-all tie, however, the Bobcats took control of the game and took a 25-16 win.
“In the second set, they adjusted their defensive intensity and we couldn't match it,” Hiltz said.
Texas State used a big lead in the early going of the final set and took it and the match with a 25-14 win in the final stanza.
The Warhawks conclude their 15-match road trip Wednesday night at UL-Lafayette. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. For more updates on ULM Volleyball, follow them on Twitter at @ULM_VB.
