STARKVILLE, Miss. – The ULM volleyball team closed out its weekend at the StarkVegas Classic with a beautifully finished three-set win over Mississippi Valley State University on Saturday (Aug. 25) to start its 2018 campaign 2-1. ULM's volleyball team has not seen a 2-1 start of the season since 2011.
 
"Our game plan today was to continue what we started last night and play our game on our side of the net," said head volleyball coach Russ Friedland. "We really focused on taking care of the ball when we had control."
 
MVSU did it's best to challenge the Warhawks, tying the score at eight in the first set. The Devilettes committed back-to-back errors, giving ULM the chance to pull ahead. The Warhawks took advantage for the mishaps and would never lose the lead through the end of the match.
 
ULM scored five straight points mid-way through the first set to put MVSU too far behind to recover. A kill by sophomore Alix Christie gave the Warhawks its first set point of the day as they took a 1-0 match lead.
 
"It was great to be able to see everyone play, contribute to the cause, and stay in rhythm. I saw some great things today that make me excited for the rest of the season," Friedland said.
 
The Warhawks sparked an early rally in set two, scoring six points thanks to the attack efforts of seniors Catherine Griffith and Taylor Wood, and freshman Karlee Wilkerson.
 
"Cat had a phenomenal outing today," Friedland said. "She was extremely efficient which allowed our pin hitters to open up and put the ball away."
 
MVSU stole its final point of the second set off a Warhawk service error, but after a kill by Griffith gave ULM the control once again, the Warhawks closed out the second set with a service ace by freshman McKinley Thiede and two huge kills by freshman Cali Assaley.
 
"Overall it was a total team effort and I'm just happy for our players to come away from this weekend with two great wins as we enter week two," said Freidland.
 
ULM defeated MVSU 25-11 in sets two and three, giving the Warhawks their second consecutive win and first sweep of the season.
 
ULM laid down 40 kills in the match, compared to the Devilette's 24 kills. The Warhawks put up seven team blocks and 45 digs; the ULM defense hindered Mississippi Valley's attack immensely, as MVSU finished the match with a mere .011 attack percentage.
 
Griffith led all players with 14 kills, as Kate Blasingame followed with eight of her own. Junior transfer Katie McKay provided a crucial 18 digs, and junior Tara Jenkins' 13 assists greatly aided in the Warhawks' win.
 
"It was a really fun game, we had control the whole time and never let up any points," Griffith said. "We took advantage of free ball opportunities and kept our energy high the whole match. It was a great way to finish out this weekend."
 
ULM will return to Monroe for practice before getting back on the road on Friday (Aug. 31) for the Redhawks Invitational at Southeast Missouri State. The Warhawks will face SEMO, Northwestern State, and Radford while in Missouri.