MONROE, La. -- The ULM sand volleyball program defeated UAB 3-2 Thursday at the ULM Sand Volleyball Courts.
The Warhawks (3-9) recorded victories at the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 positions in the victory.
"It's always fun playing at home. You feel the energy of the players in the week before. They're a little bit territorial, which is nice, because many of them actually helped build the courts when we put them in," head coach David Fischer said.
"We feel ownership of the courts, and it shows because we win the close ones here."
Rachel Arnason and Alannah Cullum teamed up in the fourth spot to set the tone for the match, tallying a clean 2-0 victory over the Blazers' (2-6) Becca Howard and Lindsay Simmons, 21-12, 21-19.
"It was really nice to see Rachel and Alannah come in and be consistent and win in two," Fischer added.
Hadley Swartz and Michelle McNamee had the next victory at the second position, downing Alison Woods and Sam Serley in a pair of 21-16 set wins.
"Hadley and Michelle came out aggressively. They don't play an easy or safe form of volleyball. They don't panic when things go awry."
The match came down to the final flight featuring both schools' top pairs, and Zuzana Markova and Marcela Araya gave ULM the overall victory with a 21-16, 21-17 win.
The Blazers took the fifth and third positions, but Blanca Ocana and Hope Pawlik forced extra time at the third flight, falling 26-24 in the first set.
The Warhawks return to action Saturday in a bracketed pairs tournament at Tulane. The next dual match is Tuesday against the Green Wave in Monroe, La. First serve is at 2:30 PM
For more updates on ULM's sand volleyball team, follow @ULM_SandVB on Twitter.
ULM 3, UAB 2
1. Zuzana Markova/Marcela Araya (ULM) d. Kiriana Hirini/Bethanie Thomas (UAB), 21-16, 21-17
2. Michelle McNamee/Hadley Swartz (ULM) d. Alison Woods/Sam Serley (UAB), 21-16, 21-16
3. Sara Rischel/Rachel Fairbanks (UAB) d. Blanca Ocana/Hope Pawlik (ULM), 26-24, 21-14
4. Alannah Cullum/Rachel Arnason (ULM) d. Becca Howard/Lindsay Simmons (UAB), 21-12, 21-19
5. Amber Treace/Ally Slaughter (UAB) d. Celine Flores/Kaitlyn Shearer (ULM), 21-18, 21-12
6. (EX) Emma Schroer/Mandy Glon (UAB) d. Iren Marinova (ULM)/Hannah Kowal (UAB), 21-15, 17-21, 15-10
