THE BASICS
Scores: ULM 5, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 0
ULM 3, Houston Baptist 2
ULM 4, Texas A&M Kingsville 1
ULM 5, New Orleans 0
Teams: ULM (8-5)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (0-2)
Houston Baptist (5-6)
Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-6)
New Orleans (3-6)
Location: Houston, Texas
HOUSTON, Texas - The ULM beach volleyball team went undefeated over the course of two days in Houston as the Warhawks grabbed wins over New Orleans, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Kingsville and host Houston Baptist.
NOTABLES
-The Warhawks swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to start the weekend. All of ULM's teams from one to six won their matches in two sets.
-ULM ended day one with a 3-2 win over Houston Baptist. The two losses for the Warhawks were in the one and two positions. The second team of Gabby Love and Delaney Driver pushed the Huskies to a third set. The pairs of Grace Convey and Bailey Smith, along with Holland Ponthieux and Ana Ribeiro, also went three sets, but each were able to grab the win.
-Day two started against Texas A&M-Kingsville with a 4-1 win for the Warhawks. The lone loss in the contest was a three-set loss in the four position by Grace Convey and Bailey Smith. There were a total of two games that went to a third set.
-The weekend closed with a 5-0 sweep of UNO. Three of the matches went to three sets in the two, three and five positions.
-Convey and Smith saw their personal seven game winning streak snapped with their loss against Texas A&M Kingsville.
-Tara Jenkins and Claire Crossfield, as well as Catherine Griffith and Becca Brown, went undefeated on the weekend and currently hold five game winning streaks. In the six position, Holland Ponthieux and Ana Ribeiro also went undefeated on the weekend with a 3-0 record and played in the five position against UNO to close the weekend 4-0.
FROM COACH HILTZ
About Texas A&M Corpus Christi: Our contacts on the ball were clean and our game plans worked well. Each spot on the lineup was able to get a cushion early and then maintain or extend the lead. I was very happy with our performance.
About Houston Baptist: Against HBU we didn't play as well. Our effort when it came to details wasn't as focused as it needed to be. To be able to find a way to win despite not playing our best is huge for us moving forward. It proves just how important it is to keep fighting, to never give up.
About Texas A&M Kingsville: It was a good win versus a physical Kingsville squad. Our fours slipped up a bit, but I think they know what they need to do better when we play them again later in the season. Everyone else played really well. Game plans were good, execution was solid and we took care of business.
About UNO: UNO played much better than when we saw them in Monroe. We may have won 5-0 but we had to squeak out wins at the one, two and five positions.
Moving forward: In the end, we won all four matches and yet we are walking away with a list of areas that need work. It's a great position to be in when you can clearly see what parts of your game need work but still get to come home with four W's. It should also provide us some momentum as we head back to our home courts to play two of these teams again plus TCU and Central Arkansas. Hopefully we can continue to defend our home court and give our fans something to get excited about.
UP NEXT
-The Warhawks return to home to host their first-ever duals tournament with the Bayou Beach Bash on Friday and Saturday. The teams will include: Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist and Texas Christian University. ULM will also honor its seniors before its final contest of the weekend against TCU.
