Huntsville, Texas -- The ULM Volleyball team dominated UTPA 3-0 to capture its first victory of the season, which secured a split for the Warhawks (1-1) during Friday's doubleheader to open the 2014 season at the SHSU Invitational from the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
“Fantastic win,” head coach Patrick Hiltz said with a smile on his face. “We lost to UTPA twice last year in 3-0 fashion and it stung both times. The girls wanted to prove that they are a better team and I feel we did just that. Exercising that demon is very nice as we move forward to achieving new goals for this season.”
SHSU 3, ULM 0 - Game 1
Despite out-blocking Sam Houston State 6-2, the Bearkats (1-0) were able to outlast ULM for the first time since 2005 after capturing the first three sets (16-25, 25-22, 25-21) on its home court as the host school.
"I knew coming into the match that Sam Houston was going to be a serve-receive challenge for us since they are traditionally a tough serving team,” Hiltz added. “That's exactly what we got. We had a little trouble remembering our systems both offensively and defensively. We talked about trusting what we have learned thus far and then putting it out on the court with confidence.”
During the second set, senior captain Marcela Araya registered her ninth dig of the match to surpass Christy Tribble for second place all-time on the ULM career digs list. The libero finished with 12 digs to complete her 50th double-digit dig match total since the start of her sophomore campaign.
The dynamic duo of Hadley Swartz and Hope Pawlik led the way with eight kills apiece. Pawlik was the match's most efficient player with a .533 hit percentage on 15 swings, while Swartz added five digs to the cause.
In her intercollegiate debut, setter Bayleigh Hoffman took control of the court by assisting on 22 kills and digging out seven balls for her first career double-double.
“Even though we played poorly, the scores were close every game and we had control of set two but gave it away in the middle of the set,” Hiltz inserted. “That was a big learning moment for us and hopefully we can learn from it and move on.”
ULM 3, UTPA 0 - Game 2
With the first set tied at 24-24, a young ULM team displayed the poise of a veteran squad by capitalizing on an error and utilizing a Pawlik block to give the Warhawks an advantage they never relinquished en route to a 26-24, 26-24, 25-20 shutout victory over the Broncs.
“Our systems were back in place and we did a much better job of doing the things we identified as keys to success for us,” Hiltz added. Our middles played well. Our block was a key part of the match as was our defense and our overall calm in the face of a pressure attitude. We still can see areas that we can improve on but we are happy to be 1-1 after day one of the season.”
Pawlik led all scorers, accounting for 18 points following 12 kills and five blocks. In only her second intercollegiate match, freshman Kalena Caruthers asserted her impact early with 11 kills on 25 attacks for an efficient .320 attack percentage.
Hoffman captured first career double-double after finishing with 33 assists and 13 digs to go with five kills. Senior Alannah Cullum chipped in five blocks and six kills of her own.
Preseason defensive player of the year, Araya continued her excellent play from the libero position. The Costa Rica native amassed 17 digs to improve her career total to 1,290, five digs shy of breaking Cathy Trsar's program record.
The second set consisted of another back-and-forth battle that the Warhawks swung their way when Caruthers laid down a powerful kill to break a 24-24 stalemate. Pawlik and Cullum rose to the nets for a tag team block over UTPA's Kasey Sanchez and give their team a commanding two sets to none lead.
Using that momentum, ULM cruised to victory with a 25-20 third set triumph for a bounce back win that moves its record to 1-1 on the season.
Moving forward, the Warhawks return to the Bernard Johnson Coliseum tomorrow morning for another doubleheader against Cal State Bakersfield (9 a.m.) and Mississippi State (4 p.m.) to close out the tournament.
“I expect a strong challenge from both opponents. Cal Bakersfield is a great defensive and ball control team. They run a fast offense. We will have to be ready,” Hiltz continued. “Mississippi State is big and poses some problems for us at the net. We will have to be smart hitters against them. Both matches will require our best efforts in order to get a win but both matches are winnable for us. We just need to keep learning and improving.”
Be sure to follow the team socially on Twitter, Instagram (@ULM_VB) and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news, scores and highlights from the Warhawks throughout the season.
