MONROE, La. – The adrenaline is still pumping through the veins of the ULM volleyball team after defeating Grambling State in Friday's (Sept. 14) home opener. The Warhawks are slated to play one additional non-conference match against Jackson State on Tuesday (Sept. 18) before heading into Sun Belt competition this upcoming weekend.
ULM's win on Friday marked the fifth of the season; now standing at 5-6 overall, the Warhawks have already matched last year's win record with 19 contests still remaining in the regular season. The 5-6 start is the best for the Warhawks since 2015 when ULM finished with 14 wins and 18 losses.
It was in 2015 that the two teams last met, although the Warhawks have not truly hosted the Lady Tigers since 2009 when ULM dropped the match in straight sets. But that ULM team is not the same that plays in Fant-Ewing today.
Dating back to 1994, the Warhawks lead the overall series 10-3, and plan on continuing to hold the lead on Tuesday.
In the Warhawks 3-0 win over Grambling State on Friday, ULM nearly broke the record for service aces in three sets, falling one short of tying the record with 13 service aces. Both sophomore
Lauren Appleman and freshman
McKinley Thiede contributed to the stat with four aces each.
ULM's defense stills hold strong, out blocking opponents 19-9 in team blocks. Leading the team is senior
Taylor Wood, whose 1.5 block per set average also ranks her first among all Sun Belt conference players.
On the offensive side of the ball, freshman
Kate Blasingame leads the Warhawks, only seven kills from reaching the century mark.
Senior teammate
Catherine Griffith is at the top for ULM with a .307 attach percentage, averaging 2.21 kills per set. Griffith's efficiency at the net contributed to the Warhawks .223 attack percentage against Grambling, as she posted 10 kills behind a .444 performance. Griffith's 10 kills marked the third double-digit kill presentation of the season for the Raleigh, North Carolina native.
Jackson State, a SWAC member like Grambling State, leads its conference in kills (483), average 10.28 per set. Marina Bianchi Brito, a freshman middle blocker from Brazil, is the top Lady Tiger with a .196 hitting percentage and 56 kills.
Tuesday marks ULM's final non-conference match before beginning conference play against Texas State at home on Friday (Sept. 21) at 6:30 p.m. All home matches at Fant-Ewing Coliseum are open to the public and admission is complimentary.
Links to live stats and video for all home matches are available at ULMWarhawks.com. 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.
