MONROE, La. – Seven points in eight plays to battle back from a six point deficit late in a tight third set was not enough for the ULM volleyball team to overcome conference rival UL-
Lafayette as the Warhawks fell in straight-sets (25-22, 25-18, 26-24) Wednesday night at the Fant Ewing Coliseum.
"We had a game plan," head coach Patrick Hiltz said. "It worked. The problem was we only used it about 15 times. Last I checked, you need more points that that to win a volleyball match."
Hadley Swartz paced the offense with a team-high 10 kills on 26 swings (.231) and four digs. The sophomore outside hitter has registered three double-digit kill totals in the past four matches and eight on the season.
After being down 21-16 in the final set, ULM (6-14, 0-7 Sun Belt) roared back to force the Ragin' Cajuns (14-4, 4-4 Sun Belt) to call two timeouts. Tied at 24-24, UL-Lafayette took advantage of two errors to even its record in the conference.
"We didn't roll over in the third set, which was good to see," Hiltz added. "Even down big with every opportunity to quit, we refused to give up."
Over the course of the match, ULM forced 15 tie scores and seven lead changes. Both teams recorded seven blocks.
Senior Marcela Araya led all defensive players with 16 digs over three sets. Freshman Bayleigh Hoffman collected 24 assists, two digs and two blocks.
Sophomores Kaitlyn Shearer and Hope Pawlik played well on both the defensive and offensive ends. Pawlik was second on the team with six kills to go with two blocks. Shearer led the way with four blocks, while adding four kills.
"In the end, it was our inexperience that cost us," Hiltz said. "We have to keep learning from our mistakes. There were fewer mental mistakes tonight, which shows we are maturing. We need to keep supporting each other while we grow together. Everyone has areas they can learn and improve. We need to trust what we have learned and confidently know that we are good enough to win."
The Warhawks are back in action Friday night at 7 p.m. when ULM hosts conference foe Troy (9-11, 1-7 Sun Belt) at the Fant Ewing Coliseum.
