BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The ULM sand volleyball program ended its 2014 campaign with a 3-2 setback against Tulane in Birmingham Sunday.
“Congratulations to Tulane (7-7) and coach Wayne Holly on today's win,” head coach David Fischer said.
Zuzana Markova and Marcela Araya tallied ULM's (5-10) first point after a dominant showing at the top flight while Michelle McNamee and Blanca Ocana tallied a point in a dramatic three-set battle at the No. 2 spot.
“It's nice that Blanca goes out with a win with Michelle and that Zuzana and Marcella took care of business at the No. 1 in Markova's final regular-season match,” Fischer said.
Hadley Swartz and Hope Pawlik and Alannah Cullum and Rachel Arnason both battled into a third set, but both fell short in the deciding frame.
Despite the setbacks, Fischer was pleased with what he saw from his team.
“We've been strong all season in the top pairs, but depth has been an issue for us with all freshmen at the third and fifth positions. The progress of our new-to-sand players has been phenomenal this year,” Fischer added.
The Warhawks were originally also slated to play UAB, but the match was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Markova and Araya will prepare for the AVCA Sand Volleyball National Championship beginning May 2 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
The rest of the team will “focus on healing and finals,” Fischer said.
For more updates on the Warhawks, follow @ULM_SandVB on Twitter.
Tulane 3, ULM 2
No. 1: Zuzana Markova/Marcela Araya (ULM) def. Tea Juric/Jackie Wegner (Tulane) – 21-6, 21-12
No. 2: Michelle McNamee/Blanca Ocana (ULM) def. Annie Shurtz/Amber Bennett (Tulane) – 16-21, 21-18, 15-7
No. 3: Anna Wruck/Hannah Holmes (Tulane) def. Hadley Swartz/Hope Pawlik (ULM) – 21-13, 25-27, 15-10
No. 4: Courtney Liddle/Olivia Utt (Tulane) def. Alannah Cullum/Rachel Arnason (ULM) – 19-21, 21-10, 15-7
No. 5: Sarah Strasner/Miah Dirrell (Tulane) def. Celine Flores/Kaitlyn Shearer (ULM) – 21-10, 21-9
Order of finish: 5,4,1,3,2
