MONROE, La. – The ULM volleyball team lost its second home match of the season, dropping a five-set thriller to Northwestern State, 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-17, 25-27, 15-13), Tuesday, Sept. 12.
ULM trailed by as many as six points in the first set, but pulled to within one at 18-17. The Lady Demons finished the set with a 7-2 run to take the first frame, 25-20. NSU hit .389 (17-3-36) in the first set.
With the scored tied at 15-15 in the second set, ULM sophomore
Mikaela Worley's kill sparked a 4-0 run, as the Warhawks built a 19-15 lead. ULM claimed the second set, 25-22, on a kill by red-shirt sophomore
Catherine Griffith. The Warhawks posted 15 kills in the second frame.
In the third set, NSU raced out to an 18-7 advantage and never looked back en route to a 25-17 win.
There were four lead changes and 14 ties in the fourth set. The Warhawks took advantage of a service error and attack error by the Lady Demons to capture the fourth frame, 27-25, and tie the match, 2-2.
NSU moved out to a 12-6 lead in the fifth set, but ULM put together a 7-2 run to cut its deficit to 14-13. The Lady Demons cliched the set and match on a kill by freshman Hannah Brister. NSU hit .308 (11-3-26) in the final frame.
"It was nice to play a match that was more than three sets," ULM head coach
Patrick Hiltz said. "Overall, I thought our effort was outstanding, and it was a good match for us to figure out what we need to work on."
Junior Reagan Rogers recorded a career-best 23 kills to pace NSU (4-7).
ULM senior
Jennifer McClendon produced a career-high 19 kills while hitting .325 (19-6-40) for the match. Two other Warhawks hit better than .300, including junior
Tara Jenkins .600 (3-0-5) and senior
Kalena Caruthers .333 (13-2-33). Jenkins also contributed 19 assists and 12 digs.
"Jennifer (McClendon) made a commitment to get in the gym during the spring, and she's really stepped up her game and provided the leadership we're looking for," Hiltz said.
ULM (3-10) heads to the Memphis Invitational this weekend, with matches scheduled against host Memphis (10 a.m.) and UT Martin (7 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 15 and a match against Nicholls State on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m.
