MONROE, La. – The ULM volleyball team was down 2-0 when it sparked a dominating third set 25-15 win over UT-Arlington, but would drop the fourth set and the match to the Mavericks on Sunday (Sept. 23). The Warhawks fall to 6-8 overall with a 0-2 mark in conference play.
 
"We didn't come out strong today," said first year head volleyball coach Russ Friedland. "It took us a while to get started and that hurt us in the end. It's clear by the third set that when we put it all together we can play with anyone and be successful. We look now to string that together for longer periods of time."
 
ULM went shot for shot with UTA in set one, with neither team leading by more than three points until the Mavericks were able to pull away at the 18^th point. UTA took a 21-15 lead after a kill by Kylie Jedlicka and a service ace by Kylee Kapp was followed by back-to-back attack errors by the Warhawks.
 
The Warhawks went on to scored four straight, including two service aces by Catherine Griffith, to pull within two of the Mavericks. Despite two consecutive kills by Taylor Wood with the set point on the line, ULM would fall to UTA in set one, 25-22.
 
Set two was a battle for ULM, who jumped out to a 7-5 lead before the UT-Arlington would start a five-point rally to take the lead. The Warhawks committed three errors over the stretch of the rally. The Mavericks scored 20 of the set's final 25 points to defeat the Warhawks 25-12 in set two.
 
ULM returned from the intermission with a refreshed vibe. The Mavericks played a clean set with minimal errors, but the Warhawks combined for a .581 hitting percentage thanks to the attacks of Griffith, Mikaela Worley, Karlee Wilkerson, and Lauren Appleman.
 
Worley finished the match with 13 kills behind a .333 performance at the net- a huge match for the junior after missing the majority of the season up until this point due to an injury.
 
A big set by Albany Schaffer and kill by freshman Cali Assaley would give the Warhawks a 22-15 lead. Assaley added her third kill of the set followed by a Maverick attack error and a set-winning kill by Wood that gave the Warhawks the chance to stay in the match with a 25-15 set-three win.
 
"We had some great players step up today off the bench. Really proud of Cali for her performance coming in late to the match. And it was great to see Mikaela have success on the outside," said Friedland.
 
Now trailing 2-1, it was now or never for the Warhawks. It looked to be a sealed deal for UTA, who led 17-12 mid-way through the set, but ULM sparked a five-point run to tie the match and force a Maverick timeout.
 
The Warhawks exchanged points back and forth until the end, when UT-Arlington pulled out a 25-23 win in the final set, closing out the 3-1 match win.
 
"I'm proud of how we responded after the second set. We knew that wasn't the real us out there and were able to come out strong from the break and get the set win," Friedland said.
 
ULM was led by Worley's 13 kills, followed by nine from Griffith. Warhawks Appleman, Assaley, Wood, and Sarah Woods all finished with five or more kills as well. In total, ULM tallied 49 kills- a season high for the Warhawks.
 
Also a season high for ULM was its 64 digs, both defensive specialists Schaffer and Katie McKay each tacked on 12 digs each.
 
"This is another step in the process," Friedland said. "We will be back in the gym tomorrow working to continue our daily 1% better goal and focus on our three matches this week starting with Tech on Tuesday."
 
The Warhawks will travel to I-20 rival Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, playing the Bulldogs in Ruston at 7:00 p.m. for a mid-week non-conference match.