MONROE, La. – Freshman Warhawk
Kate Blasingame has been named the Sun Belt Volleyball Freshman of the Week after helping lead the ULM volleyball team to a weekend sweep of conference opponents Georgia State and Georgia Southern. The last time ULM has earned a weekly honor was 2014, this is the first time a Warhawk has garnered the award since it began in 2013.
"I'm happy to see Kate get recognized for her performance last week," said head volleyball coach
Russ Friedland. "She was solid for us attacking and digging against the Georgia schools. She deserves it and for the conference to recognize her is huge for her and our program."
Blasingame averaged 3.50 kills per set over the weekend, with 14 kills in each of the four-set matches. In 72 swings, she committed only five errors for a cumulative .319 attack percentage. Her 14 kills are tied for a match-high and count as Blasingame's sixth and seventh double-digit kill performances.
Blasingame also contributed to the defensive side of the victories on Thursday and Friday as well, recording a total 33 digs with 18 against Georgia State (Oct. 18) and 15 against Georgia Southern (Oct. 19). Her 18 digs is another match-high for the Plano, Texas native.
Across her eight sets played, Blasingame assisted her teammates three different times and added two service aces and four blocks in ULM's back-to-back victories. The Warhawk wins are the first of its kind since 2016, the last time ULM won a Sun Belt match at home, nonetheless, sweep the weekend.
The Warhawks will be back on the road this weekend when they visit East Division foes UT-Arlington on Friday (Oct. 26) and Texas State on Sunday (Oct. 28). ULM will be looking to continue its success in league play in hopes of playing in the Sun Belt tournament next month. The 2018 Sun Belt Women's Volleyball Championship is set for Nov. 15-18 at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Ga., hosted by Georgia State.
