Scores: ULM 3, Alcorn State 0
ULM 3, Incarnate Word 0
Record: ULM 2-4
Alcorn State 0-2
Incarnate Word 1-4
Location: Conway, Ark. (Ferris Center)
Conway, Ark. – The ULM volleyball team picked up its first two wins of the season on day one of the University of Central Arkansas Invitational with two sweeps against Alcorn State (Miss.) and Incarnate Word (Texas).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alcorn State
-The Warhawks notched the first point off the match and continued to advance its scoring lead with a nine point run that saw the team through to a 25-9 set win.
-ULM carried the momentum from set one into set two and started off with a 12-0 run. The Warhawks capitalized on that lead to put themselves up two sets to none.
-Alcorn State tried to make things interesting in set three and broke into double digits. However, after an eight point run the Warhawks were untouchable.
Incarnate Word
-UIW took an early lead in set one, but it wasn't long before the Warhawks got their feet under them and overtook the Cardinals. The Warhawks consistently put up two and four point advances to maintain their lead to a first set win.
-In set two, ULM had found their rhythm and maintained the pace that they finished with in the previous set. After a 6-1 scoring run ULM created a four-point deficit for UIW that the Warhawks only furthered throughout the set to put themselves up two sets to none.
-The Cardinals did not let up in set three as the set held a total nine ties. Incarnate Word stayed right on the coat tails of ULM and tied the score at 21, but the Warhawks did not faulter as they pushed through to close out the match.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Alcorn State
-ULM's highest hitting percentage of the match was in set two with 0.765
-ULM did not hit below 0.500 as a team
-No attacker recorded any errors in the match
-As a team the Warhawks blew the overall ULM record for attack percentage out of the water with a record breaking 0.597. The previous record was 0.509 at Grambling State on Sept. 13, 2012.
-Grace Convey led the offense with six kills in the match. Jennifer McClendon, Kalena Caruthers and Sarah Woods followed right behind and contributed five kills apiece.
-Kacey LeBlanc led the defense with seven digs and was closely followed by Albany Schaffer who recorded six digs of her own
-Tara Jenkins and Presleigh Williams fed the offense with a combines 27 assists in the match for an average of 9 assists per set. The setters posted 16 and 11 assists respectively.
-ULM was strong at the service live with 13 aces as a team, which ties the no. five record for aces in three sets. The other no. 5 record was recorded against Southern on September 12, 2015. Paige Huff and Albany Schaffer were big contributors of that total with four and three aces respectively
Incarnate Word
-ULM's highest hitting percentage of the match was in set one with 0.304
-ULM's highest total of kills in the set was in set two with 15 kills
-Hope Pawlik led the offense with 10 kills and was followed closely by Kalena Carithers who contributed nine kills of her own
-LeBlanc led the defense and recorded 11 digs
-Jenkins and Williams fed the offense with 36 assists combined for an average of 12 assists per set. The setters recorded 15 and 13 kills respectively
FROM COACH HILTZ
Alcorn
-About the match vs Alcorn: Always good to get a win. We had a couple of mental lapses but we were able to bring it back into focus quickly which is something we can build on for the rest of the tournament.
-About the energy: It was nice to see everyone play well. The energy was very high throughout the match both on the court as well as on the bench. When we have fun we play well.
-What we need to work on: Still we can get better on our block. The timing was different this match but that shouldn't affect our footwork and technique. We will have to be stronger with our block this afternoon.
-What worked for us: Serving was very good and our hitters did an excellent job of taking care of the ball.
-Looking forward to match vs Incarnate Word: I am hopeful we can carry some momentum over into the next match. I have no reason to believe that we won't. Should be a fun one.
Incarnate Word
-About the match: The thing I'm most pleased with is the way we finished the match. We expected them to fight a little harder in the third and they did. When they caught us at 21 we stayed calm, stayed in the moment and played with great composure. It was important for us to finish the match in three. I'm glad we were able to do so. We beat a good team today. It should only fuel our confidence.
-What we did well: Our serving was fantastic in both matches today. We kept pressure on both teams we played from start to finish. We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of serving, psychology of serving and today we saw the results.
-What our focus is: Moving forward we still have areas to improve. The focus tomorrow will be to build off of the momentum of today. Continue to be strong where we have discovered our strengths and clean up some of our off the ball movements. Our opponents tomorrow will have us scouted and will be prepared. I expect some more tough competition on Saturday.
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will continue play in the UCA Invitational and face host team Arkansas State and Oral Roberts (Okla.) Saturday, Sept. 2.
