ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The ULM sand volleyball program fell twice in competition Sunday morning and afternoon at St. Augustine Beach to cap the UNF Sand Invitational.
The Warhawks suffered a 4-1 loss to North Florida to open the day and followed it up with a 3-2 setback against Georgia State.
Zuzana Markova and Marcela Araya were the only ULM duo to go 2-0 on the day.
"Once again, our All-American, Zuzana Markova, is doing what she does, and Marcela Araya isn't about to slow down. She's too fast for that. (Araya) has stepped into the first role really comfortably," head coach David Fischer said.
MATCH ONE -- North Florida 4, ULM 1
ULM fell 4-1 to the host North Florida Sunday morning, but the Warhawks took a flight for the second straight match.
Once again, ULM's No. 1 duo of Zuzana Markova and Marcela Araya grabbed their flight. This time, it was a clean sweep over the Ospreys' Dagnija Medina and Kim Hildreth, 21-12, 21-19.
The Warhawks' No. 3 pair of Blanca Ocana and Alannah Cullum just missed taking the No. 3 position, falling 21-18, 21-19. Meanwhile, Hope Pawlik and Rachel Arnason played the match of the day at the No. 4 spot. The ULM tandem fought the entire way, but fell 33-31 in the first set and dropped the second 21-15.
Box Score - UNF 4, ULM 1
1. Zuzana Markova/Marcela Araya (ULM) d. Dagnija Medina/Kim Hildreth (UNF), 21-12, 21-19
2. Anna Budinska/Cari Whitmire (UNF) d. Hadley Swartz/Michelle McNamee (ULM), 21-15, 21-8
3. Emily Strack/Britt Claessens (UNF) d. Blanca Ocana/Alannah Cullum (ULM), 21-18, 21-19
4. Tanner Garbutt/Cameron McGuire (UNF) d. Hope Pawlik/Rachel Arnason (ULM), 33-31, 21-15
5. Julie Trembley/Emily Davanzo (UNF) d. Celine Flores/Kaitlyn Shearer (ULM), 21-12, 21-12
MATCH 2 -- Georgia State 3, ULM 2
ULM picked up a season-high two points but Georgia State swept the final three flights to surpass the Warhawks 3-2 Sunday afternoon.
Both of the ULM points came at the top two positions and both needed a third set to secure the points.
At the top flight, Markova and Araya won their third straight match after taking the final set by the minimum at 15-13 over the Panther tandem of Delaney Rohan and Moriah Bellissimo.
In the second spot, Michelle McNamee and Hadley Swartz paired up for their first win as a team after taking the final frame 15-11 over Sara Olivova and Jansen Button. The Warhawk tandem rallied after falling 21-11 in the first set to take the second 21-19.
It was Swartz's first win on the sand at the collegiate level.
The Warhawks return to action Mar. 18 at LSU. The time is still to be announced.
For more updates on the sand volleyball program, follow @ULM_SandVB on Twitter.
Box Score - GSU 3, ULM 2
1. Markova/Araya (ULM) d. Delaney Rohan/Moriah Bellissimo (GSU), 21-17, 18-21, 15-13
2. Swartz/McNamee (ULM) d. Sara Olivova/Jansen Button (GSU), 11-21, 21-19, 15-11
3. Katelyn Rawls/Sarah Agnew (GSU) d. Ocana/Cullum (ULM), 21-14, 21-12
4. Milani Pickering/Natalie Wilson (GSU) d. Pawlik/Arnason (ULM), 21-6, 21-10
5. Katie Madewell/Alex Townsend (GSU) d. Shearer/Flores (ULM), 21‐16, 21‐13
