CENTRE, Ala. – The ULM volleyball squad swept Alcorn State and host Jacksonville State Saturday in the final day of the Gamecock Invitational inside Cherokee Arena.
“(Assistant) Coach (Ashley) Michel has been stressing to the girls the importance of earning the last two points of each set. It's been a point of emphasis all season,” head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “I challenged our upperclassmen after our loss Friday morning. The last few matches they have responded.”
ULM 3, ASU 0
The ULM volleyball team defeated Alcorn State in straight sets Saturday afternoon in its third game of the Gamecock Invitational inside Cherokee Arena.
ULM (4-3) jumped out to a nine-point advantage in the first set after scoring 10 of the first 11 points with the help of two kills and two aces from junior Taylor Zaeske. Juniors Kaitlyn Shearer and Hadley Swartz joined in on the action with four kills apiece to close out the opening stanza 25-9.
ASU (1-7) kept the second set close up until a 9-7 Warhawk lead. Then, behind five Swartz kills, ULM proceeded to win the next 16 points behind strong service from junior Hope Pawlik.
The third set came to a 5-5 tie before freshman Presleigh Williams served an ace which sparked a 6-0 ULM run that she capped off with two more aces. Later in the set with a 19-13 Warhawk lead, sophomore Jennifer McClendon served during a 4-0 ULM run in which junior Kaitlyn Shearer provided two kills. Williams fittingly finished off the set and the match with a service ace.
ULM finished the match with 14 service aces, including a match-high five from Williams in addition to four from Pawlik. Proven at times this season to be a well-balanced and efficient offense, the Warhawks finished with a .433 hitting percentage, complemented by three players with at least seven kills. Swartz led all attackers with 11 kills.
ULM 3, JSU 0
Juniors Hope Pawlik and Taylor Zaeske recorded their first double doubles of the season to lift the ULM volleyball squad over host Jacksonville State in the Gamecock Invitational finale Saturday night inside Cherokee Arena.
“Tonight's match was a culmination of (the upperclassmen) stepping up,” Hiltz said. “Bayleigh (Hoffman) really set a great match for us. She's the one in charge of spreading the ball around and she did that beautifully tonight. The biggest thing I saw today was an emphasis on defense led by Hope (Pawlik). I enjoyed watching our team's defense today.”
A tightly contested first set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. The set was tied at 21, 22, 23 and 24 before junior Hadley Swartz and Zaeske broke through with back-to-back kills to secure the set for ULM (5-3). Zaeske finished with seven kills in the opening set.
ULM turned up the heat in the second set, scoring 10 of the first 14 second-set points on JSU (4-3). That lead was enough for the Warhawks to cruise through the second set unscathed as Zaeske, Pawlik and fellow junior Kaitlyn Shearer fired four kills apiece in the second stanza.
Similarly to the first set, the third set consisted of 15 ties and eight lead changes. Trailing 22-21 ULM got back-to-back blocks and a Pawlik kill to push match point. The Gamecocks would fight back to knot the set at 24 before Pawlik sealed the deal with back-to-back kills. Pawlik finished the third set with an astonishing 10 kills, good for 50 percent of ULM's offensive production within the final set.
Pawlik finished with 17 kills and 10 digs to achieve her 11th career double-double while Zaeske followed close behind with 16 and 10 for her second. Shearer added 11 kills while Hoffman assisted on 45 kills. Junior Kacey LeBlanc additionally recorded a match-high 14 digs.
Charis Ludtke led the Gamecocks with 13 kills while setter Jennifer Hart nearly missed a double-double with 32 assists and nine digs.
“We were tenacious and really went after every point all day long,” Hiltz said. “I'm looking forward to showing our fans in Monroe that energy and defensive commitment on Monday!”
ULM will spend its Labor Day (Sept. 7) hosting Stephen F. Austin, looking to avenge a five-set loss from last season versus inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum at 2 p.m.
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