THE BASICS
Score: ULM 3 – Georgia State 1
Records: ULM 6-12, 2-0
Georgia State 4-9, 0-2
Location: Monroe, La. (Fant-Ewing Coliseum)
Monroe, La. – The ULM volleyball team remained undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play with a 3-1 win over Georgia State on Saturday night inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Warhawks got off to a slow start in set one, despite staying close, Georgia State took the first set.
-ULM bounced back in set three and jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead. The Warhawks continued to lead for the remainder of the set to even the score at one set apiece.
-In set three, the Warhawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held the Panthers off to take the lead for two sets to one.
-ULM played dominantly in set four and after a 10-2 run had sealed the match for a 3-1 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-ULM posted its highest hitting percentage in set two (.361)
-ULM recorded its highest total of kills as a team in set two (15)
-ULM held GSU to its lowest hitting percentage in set three (.056)
-Hope Pawlik recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Pawlik also recorded her 1,000 career kill tonight and became only the fifth Warhawk to do so.
-Tara Jenkins was one kill short of posting a triple-double, finishing with nine kills, 33 assists and 10 digs.
-Kacey LeBalnc notched 20 total digs on the night.
FROM COACH HILTZ
About the match: It's nice to take care of business at home the way we did this weekend. There were a couple of moments tonight where we could have panicked but we didn't. Give Georgia State credit. They served very well and got us out of system. Especially early in the first set. We recovered well though and stayed pretty steady the rest of the match.
Looking forward: It's important to recognize that it's a long season. We need to keep our focus on simply getting better every day. Two wins to start is nice but we can still get better and need to get better in order to meet our goals. We have a tough weekend coming up on the road and we need to clean a few things up technically and fundamentally. We need to be consistent from point to point. We are playing very well, the danger is complacency and being satisfied with two wins. As far as we are concerned, we are looking to go 1-0 next Friday.
About the players: Several players contributed tonight but our middles were a huge factor in the win. Defensively, Kacey was very good once again and is starting to establish herself as one of the best in the Sun Belt. Tara ran the offense beautifully again and decided to include herself this time. It's important for her to be active as a hitting threat as well so teams can't load up their block on our other hitters when Tara is front row.
About Hope's 1,000 career kill: Finally, I'm happy for Hope. The 1,000 kill milestone is a testament to her resolve and dedication to this team for four years. She endured some rough seasons early on so I'm proud to see her reach this milestone achievement. Still, I think she'd trade every single kill for a trip to the SBC tournament. It's there for us if we want it. It won't be easy to get but I think this group wants it bad enough to put in the work to achieve their goal. The next step in the process comes with practice Monday.
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will hit the road next week and continue Sun Belt Conference play when they face Arkansas State on Friday, Sept. 30.
