MONROE, La. – The ULM volleyball squad saw a valiant effort from senior Kimberlie Alvarado who struck a season-high eight kills, but the Warhawks were swept in straight sets 25-21, 25-18, 25-17 by Texas State Thursday night inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“We were still nowhere close to our potential tonight,” head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “We need to get better for Saturday and I believe we will. I appreciate everyone that came to support us tonight. We will need the same thing Saturday. Our fans helped tremendously in Arlington; we will need them again here at home.”
Sophomore setter Bayleigh Hoffman notched her sixth double-double of the season, dishing out 27 assists and digging 10 balls. Junior Taylor Zaeske fired seven kills and a team-high 15 digs after putting the libero jersey on for set three. Freshman Tara Jenkins recorded 13 digs in the two sets she played. Junior Hope Pawlik added six kills and nine digs.
Shelby Vas Matt slammed a match-high 10 kills for the Bobcats as six Texas State attackers recorded at least six kills and half of them swung at a clip of at least .300. Both setters recorded double-doubles in assists and digs, and libero Sierra Smith anchored the defense with a match-high 17 digs.
After an Alvarado kill brought ULM (13-16, 3-11 SBC) within one at 8-7 in the first set, Texas State (16-11, 13-3 SBC) scored five straight behind three Warhawk attacking errors. Still trailing 19-15, ULM ripped off three straight points on kills from Alvarado and junior Kaitlyn Shearer.
After the Bobcats took a point on a Morgan Lewis kill, the Warhawks answered with two straight points on one kill each from Alvarado and Zaeske to tie the set at 20. A Shearer service error prompted a Vas Matt kill to put the Bobcats up 22-20.
Zaeske smashed a kill on the next point before Texas State closed out the set by scoring the next three. Zaeske (.308) and Alvarado (.375) recorded five and four kills respectively in the opening stanza.
Pawlik scored on a kill in the second set to bring the Warhawks within one at 5-4 before the Bobcats again made a 5-0 run on three ULM errors to push the lead to six at 10-4. That was enough for Texas State to hang on and win the set 25-18 behind four kills apiece from Vas Matt and lefty right side Jordan Kohl.
More of the same in the third set as Kohl slammed a kill to put the Bobcats up 7-3. Texas State had a three-point run and a four-point run later in the set which made it 22-11. The Warhawks did score three straight from that point on two Bobcat errors and a Hadley Swartz service ace, but at 24-17 Texas State shut the door with a kill from Lauren Kirch.
ULM returns to Fant-Ewing Coliseum Saturday to face UT Arlington, a team that will be looking for revenge after the Warhawks took a four-set win in Arlington last weekend, with a 6:30 p.m. first serve scheduled.
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