ULM Warhawks

ATLANTA, Ga. – The ULM volleyball team lost its Sun Belt opener in five sets at Georgia State, 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 14-25, 15-9), on Friday, Sept. 23.
 
Trailing 2-1, ULM raced out to an 8-0 lead in the fourth set and rolled to a 25-14 win in the frame. The Warhawks hit .286 (13-5-28) in the fourth set.
 
Georgia State (7-7) jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the fifth set and never looked back en route to a 15-9 victory. The Panthers hit .467 (8-1-15) in the final set.
 
Three Panthers reached double figures in kills, including sophomore Sydney Stroud (16), junior Crystal Lee (14) and sophomore Morgan Hash (14). Lee finished with a double-double, adding 11 digs.
 
ULM red-shirt sophomore Catherine Griffith hit .630 (18-1-27) in the league opener, recording a match-best 18 kills. Sophomore Mikaela Worley contributed 13 kills, while junior Tara Jenkins posted a double-double, with 40 assists and 12 digs. Junior Allie Kemp (4) and Jenkins (3) combined to account for seven of ULM's 10 service aces.
 
"We continue to put together a really tasty, good volleyball sandwich," ULM head coach Patrick Hiltz said. "The problem is the bread of that sandwich is kinda moldy. We start very slow and end slow. In between, we are playing some really good volleyball. I wish we could stay relaxed at crunch time, but we still make immature decisions when things get tight. We have to grow up a bit and be able to play solid volleyball from start to finish. The desire is there; the effort is there for the most part. We just need to be able to breathe and continue to perform.

"The match was lost in the fourth set. We had a huge lead and let up and cruised our way to the finish. Unfortunately, in the process, we allowed them to get some momentum; some feel good back in their systems. What we needed to do was stay on the gas and bury them. We needed to kill their spirit completely and demoralize them. By letting up, we gave them hope. They took that momentum into the fifth set, and we never really got it back on our side again.
 
"It's a disappointing loss, so now tomorrow becomes crucial. This was a potential 2-0 road trip. Now, it's extremely important for us to get a win and get back on track."
 
ULM (4-14) continues its Sun Belt opening-weekend road trip at Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.