MONROE, La. – Juniors Bayleigh Hoffman and Taylor Zaeske notched double-doubles as the ULM volleyball team dropped a four-setter (21-25, 25-20, 25-20. 25-20) to Troy Friday night inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"Our emotion and desire seemed to be back tonight," head coach Patrick Hiltz said. "We may not have gotten the result we wanted from a win-loss perspective, but I think tonight is a clear step in the right direction. Now we need to clean up a few areas in practice and we will be ready to make another push to the finish line."
The first set came to an eight-point deadlock before ULM (11-12, 2-7 SBC) took control with four straight points on a kill each from junior Hope Pawlik and Zaeske, a Hadley Swartz service ace and an assisted block by Hoffman and junior Kaitlyn Shearer to take a 12-8 lead.
After Troy (12-11, 5-4 SBC) got a Reina Terry kill later in the set to cut the Warhawk lead to two at 20-18, ULM responded by scoring four straight points with assistance from a Swartz kill and Shearer ace to push set point. After the Trojans saved three set points, Zaeske iced the set with a kill.
The second set came to a 17-point tie before the Trojans notched seven of the next eight points lifted by two Blair Winston kills to force set point at 24-18. ULM would save two set points on Troy errors before Zaeske's attack would find the net to tie the match at one set apiece heading into the break.
The third set came to a 6-6 draw before the Trojans pounced on a Zaeske service error by scoring three straight to make it 10-6. After trading points, the Warhawks would counterpunch with a 4-0 run of their own with Shearer and Swartz notching kills during the run and Pawlik capping off the scoring barrage with an ace to tie the set at 11.
After another Pawlik kill later gave ULM a 14-13 advantage, Troy ripped off five straight points to take control at 18-14. The Warhawks never could recover and trailing 23-20, the Trojans put the set away with a kill from Sara Landis and a tip from Hoffman that did not clear the net.
ULM seemed to find its groove early in the fourth set after a Pawlik kill followed by back-to-back assisted blocks with Shearer gave the Warhawks an early 5-2 lead. That margin widened to six after a 5-0 ULM run with a kill each coming from Pawlik, Shearer and Swartz made it 10-4.
Troy, however, scored nine of the next 10 points to gain a 13-11 edge. After a Zaeske kill, the Trojans pulled away with a five-point run that put the Warhawks down by six at 18-12. ULM saved two set points later in the set at 24-18 after two Troy errors before Trojan attacker Symone Shaw closed the match with a kill.
The aforementioned Warhawk double-doubles came as Hoffman served up 38 assists while Zaeske smashed 12 kills and both added double-digit digs. Pawlik smashed a match-high 13 kills, and Swartz nearly missed a double-double with nine kills and 12 digs. Shearer recorded a match-high five blocks (one solo).
Landis and Leah Causey downed the Warhawks with 12 kills apiece while Terry notched a double-double on 36 assists and 18 digs.
ULM returns to Fant-Ewing Coliseum Monday where it will face Grambling State with first serve set for 6 p.m.
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