LAFAYETTE, La. – Junior Taylor Zaeske smashed a career-high 19 kills en route to the ULM volleyball squad's first victory over UL Lafayette since 2011 Friday night inside Earl K. Long Gym.
This was the third five-set victory (19-25, 26-24, 25-19, 15-25, 15-13) for the Warhawks in as many games.
“I don't think we could have played a more even match statistically. Each team battled to the very end, but once again we were able to play extremely high-level volleyball in the fifth set,” ULM head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “The only real explanation for how we won is the grit and determination that this team continues to show night in and night out. They simply refuse to lose.”
The first 16 points of the first set were split to an eight-point tie with each team recording five kills apiece. ULL (3-11, 0-3 SBC) made its move four points later scoring two straight points before ULM (10-5, 2-0 SBC) responded with a two-point run of its own to tie the set at 12.
The Ragin' Cajuns countered with four straight behind the service of Sara Mossakowski before Zaeske fired a crosscourt kill and an ace to bring it to 16-14. Later in the set the Warhawks made a two-point push to force a ULL timeout, but the Cajuns scored four in a row out of the break to hold a 23-17 advantage.
Juniors Hadley Swartz and Kaitlyn Shearer followed up with back-to-back kills before ULL attackers Chanelle Garder and Nia Antoine did the same to ice the set for the Cajuns. The first set featured 10 ties and both teams sided out at over 50 percent.
The second set also started close with nine ties in the first 22 points. The set again tied at 13 before the Warhawks scored a point and then scored again on a long rally on an assisted block from Shearer and setter Bayleigh Hoffman. Zaeske followed up with a powerful slam that ricocheted off of the Cajun block to force a ULL timeout at 16-13.
ULL would score two of the next three before Hoffman snuck a kill through the Cajun front line and followed up with a service ace to force another ULL timeout at 19-15. Hoffman's next serve tipped the top of the net and landed on the Cajun's side of the court.
ULL scored two in a row later in the set to force a ULM timeout at 21-18. The next four points would split before the Cajuns notched two in a row to cut the deficit to one at 23-22. The Cajuns scored another before the next two points traded to make it 24-24.
Zaeske tooled the block on the next point for a kill before combining with senior Kimberlie Alvarado for an assisted block to tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set came to a five-point tie before Zaeske slammed a back-row attack and Shearer smashed a quick Hoffman set to give the Warhawks a 7-5 edge. With the set later tied at seven, Shearer punished three straight balls for kills, including one ULL overpass.
The Cajuns cut the deficit to one before the Warhawks pushed three straight points to make it 13-10. ULM would score six of the next nine points capped off by a huge assisted block from Shearer and Hope Pawlik to make it 19-13.
The Cajuns would trim the Warhawk lead to four at 22-18 before ULM scored two of the next three to threaten set point. Pawlik then laced a shot from the back row that found the floor on the ULL side to give ULM a 2-1 set lead.
The Cajuns jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the fourth set. The ULL lead increased to nine after a four-point run made it 16-7. The Warhawks crept back into the set at 21-15 before the Cajuns regrouped after a timeout, scoring four straight to force the fifth set.
ULL took the fourth-set momentum into the fifth, scoring the first two points. ULM countered with a two-point run of its own before the two teams traded points to tie the set at three. The next four points would be evenly distributed to bring the set to a five-point standstill.
After another tie at six, freshman Tara Jenkins' jump-float landed for an ace before a Cajun attacking error gave the Warhawks an 8-6 lead at the switch. ULL scored a point before Hoffman swatted a Cajun attempt on a ULM overpass to make it 9-7 ULM.
The next six points were traded to make it 12-10 in ULM's favor. Swartz smashed the next ball off the ULL block and Pawlik served an ace to force match point at 14-10. After the Cajuns saved three set points, Swartz touched the ball to the back corner to seal the victory.
The Warhawks again saved their best effort for the fifth set, a set in which they swung .353 (7-1-17) while limiting the Cajuns to .176 (7-4-17).
“Bayleigh and I were connecting really well and kept talking about different things that were working,” Zaeske said. “I can't take all of the credit. My middles were pulling the blocks for me and Bayleigh gave me some great sets.”
Pawlik (12 kills, 15 digs) and Swartz (12 kills, 18 digs) joined Zaeske (11 digs) with double-doubles. Hoffman nearly recorded one as well with 49 assists and eight digs. Jenkins added 19 digs from the libero position.
Cajun attacker Chanelle Gardner led all attackers with 20 kills on an impressive .548 (20-3-31) attacking percentage.
The Warhawks conclude their four-game road stretch at Jackson State Tuesday, Sept. 29, with a first serve set for 6:30 p.m.
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