MONROE, La. – Fant-Ewing was alive with the sound of cheers on Friday night, when the ULM volleyball team defeated its second-straight Sun Belt opponent with a 3-1 win over Georgia Southern. The Warhawks advance to 9-14 overall with a 2-8 mark in league play.
"This was a team win," said head volleyball coach
Russ Friedland. "I am so proud of this team for their grit. To sweep a weekend in this conference is huge, and to do it on our home floor just makes it that much sweeter. We will enjoy these two wins, and homecoming weekend, and then shift our focus to next weekend's road trip to Texas."
ULM needed just one set to find its rhythm, as Georgia State's Katelynn Riner helped the Eagles jump out to a 12-4 lead in set one. GS's lead would hold until the end as the Warhawks dropped set one, 25-13. The Eagles scored 10 of their 25 points with Riner in the serving position.
The Warhawks bounced back in set two and rallied back from an early four-point deficit to tie the set at 10 points apiece. ULM then managed to win five of the next seven set points to take a 15-12 lead mid-way through the second set.
The score would tie two more times in the second set, before back-to-back kills by senior
Taylor Wood and junior
Mikaela Worley would send ULM and GS into the break with one set win each.
Returning from the intermission, the Warhawks and Eagles went back and forth in set three, neither team would lead by more than three points the entire set. All tied at 22, the Warhawks looked to redshirt junior
Catherine Griffith, who recorded a huge kill off the set from senior
Tara Jenkins, to give ULM the lead.
The Warhawks would win set three 25-22 after Worley followed Griffith's kill with one of her own and the ULM defense rattled the Eagles at the net forcing an attack error in the final set point.
Georgia Southern would look to avoid the loss in set four, but ULM was looking for the win, recording a set-high 20 kills in the fourth set alone. With only three attack errors on 44 attempts, the Warhawks registered an impressive .386 hitting percentage in the final set.
ULM had a 21-19 lead over the Eagles before GS rattled off two kills and a service ace to regain the lead, now ahead of the Warhawks 22-21.
The Warhawks would call a time out, regroup, and return to the court to score four consecutive points, sealing the win with three straight kills from Worley.
Worley would lead all players with 15 kills, followed by freshman
Kate Blasingame who recorded her fifth double-double on the season with 14 kills and 15 digs.
"What a match. We came out slow and it showed but were able to respond well," said Friedland. "Mikaela was huge for us off the bench tonight and Kate, although she struggled tonight in serve receive, had a great defensive match and hit well."
Griffith worked the net with eight blocks, joined by Wood who added six to the ULM total as well. The 14 team blocks is the second-highest blocking performance by ULM this year, best in league play. Seven different Warhawks got in on the fun tonight, earning at least one block assist.
"Our block was huge tonight," Friedland said. "We get so much energy from our net presence that catapults us forward."
The Warhawks are back on the road next weekend, headed west to Texas where they will face UT-Arlington and Texas State for the second time this season. ULM will play on the road twice more before returning home to host the Ragin' Cajuns on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.
Follow the Warhawks on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @ULM_VB to stay up to date on team happenings, schedule changes, live in-game updates, and much more.
