THE BASICS
Score: ULM 2, ULL 3
(25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 27-25, 13-15)
Records: ULM (8-15, 2-3 SBC)
UL-Lafayette (7-13, 3-2 SBC)
Location: Lafayette, La.
Lafayette, La. – The ULM volleyball team battled for every point in front of a rowdy crowd in Lafayette, but fell to UL-Lafayette 3-2 on Saturday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-ULM jumped out to an early 10-3 lead and saw that lead to a set one win.
-As the team switched sides the momentum didn't as the Cajuns took an early lead in set two. The Warhawks continued to fight as the set produced five tie scores. However, UL-Lafayette was able to close out the set to tie the score at one set a piece.
-ULM took an early 7-4 lead in the third set as the team regained some momentum. The Cajuns, however, pushed back and tied the score at 16 after a seven point run. UL-Lafayette continued the run with three more points to take the lead. The Cajuns continued on the attack and took the third set.
-Set four was a battle from beginning to the end. The set produced 15 tie scores and eight lead changes. The Warhawks were able to capitalize off of the Cajuns errors to close out the set and send the match to a fifth and final set.
-Set five saw the Warhawks with the lead through the side change at eight points. The teams battled it out with each team trying to gain the advantage. UL-Lafayette, however, was able to gain the two-point advantage and close out the set and match.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-ULM recorded its highest hitting percentage in set one (.311).
-ULM recorded its highest total of kills in a set in set one (18).
-There were a total of 32 tie scores and 15 lead changes in the match. The set with the highest total of ties and lead changes was set four (15 ties – eight lead changes).
-Hope Pawlik notched a double-double on the night with 18 kills and 11 digs. Also on Pawlik's stat line was three service aces.
-Tara Jenkins fed the offense with 42 total assists in the match for an average of 8.4 assists per set.
-Kacey LeBlanc led the defense with 18 total digs in the set. Albany Schaffer followed closely behind with a new season- and career-high of 17 digs.
FROM COACH HILTZ
About the team: Nobody can question our heart and effort tonight. We could have easily given up in the fourth set but we didn't. We continued to battle and fight and somehow found our way to the fifth set. I'm proud of my team for that. Certainly a step in the right direction.
About the match: It was a great environment as always at Earl K. Long Gym and I'm sure the fans for both sides felt like they got their monies worth. Still, when push came to shove, we played safe instead of staying aggressive. We still need a few more players on the court that want to make plays instead of trying to figure out why the person next to them didn't make the play. We need to develop the desire and ability to put away an opponent when we have them down. Tonight we had a chance to bury UL-Lafayette in both the first and the third sets and we let them back into the set. Ultimately, that was the difference in the match. The moments in the first set and the third set when we let them feel comfortable again. We allowed them to feel good about themselves enough for them to play well again.
About passing: Our passing was fantastic tonight. Kacey, Albany, Hope and Paige really locked down serve receive all night and allowed us to try and run our offense. Unfortunately, our offense wasted the effort. Too many miscommunications between hitter and setter. We talk to each other a lot but I'm not sure we listen to each other very well. In tight matches, we cannot afford to have miscommunication at any time but especially when we have a good pass.
About blocking: Lastly, our block was nonexistent tonight. Everyone along the front line for us needs to do better. We went from being a very good blocking team to a weak blocking team pretty quick. We will obviously work on that in practice since we will need to find our good blocking selves again in time for our match against UALR on Friday. Blocking will be a major factor in that match. We need to be ready.
UP NEXT
-The Warhawks continue play in the Sun Belt Conference as they return home to play against Little Rock next Friday night.
