MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was a day of proven progress for the ULM volleyball team, as they nearly defeated Memphis in a five-set thriller, and swept North Alabama on day one (Sept.7) of the Tiger Invitational. 

The Warhawks (3-6) started the morning with an early match against host-team Memphis (4-5). ULM struggled in set one, falling to the Tigers in a 25-17 decision. It would be the eighth straight set dropped by the Warhawks, but that didn't hinder their confidence heading into set two, as ULM claimed a hard fought 25-20 win to tie the match at 1-1.

After sacrificing 35 points in errors to Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday (Sept. 4), the Warhawks took advantage of their opponents' errors, taking both set two and three and out hitting the Tigers by upwards of 20% in each set.

"We battled hard against Memphis," said head volleyball coach Russ Friedland. "We had a good game plan and executed it well. We responded after they took the first set but had trouble finishing points at the end of the match."

Despite dominating set wins in sets two and three, the Warhawks let off the gas pedal in set four, allowing Memphis to gain control and win set four in 25-20 fashion. ULM and Memphis would be forced into a fifth set. 

ULM was unable to take a large enough lead in the fifth set to put Memphis away, and the Tigers claimed victory in set five by a margin of 15-8. 

The Warhawks finished with a hitting percentage of .211, second best performance by ULM this season. Earning her third double-double of the season was freshman Kate Blasingame with 13 kills and 10 digs. 

Redshirt-junior Catherine Griffiths continues to shine on the court and lead ULM, today with a hefty .375 hitting percentage and four service aces. Griffith and the Warhawks were backed on defense by ten different players with ten or more digs: Blasingame, Lauren Appleman, Albany Schaffer, and Presleigh Williams. 

"We got better this week in practice and that showed this morning," Friedland said. "The result wasn't what we wanted and we were determined to change our fate going into the afternoon match."

After nearly upsetting Memphis on its home court, ULM was on the hunt for a big win and it got just that when they faced North Alabama (2-6).

The first set would prove the toughest for the Warhawks, as the Lions would take ULM down to the last point. You wouldn't be able to tell by the box-score, but at one point, the Warhawks trailed by 14 points after North Alabama opened up the match with a 12-point rally. After two five-point runs of their own, the Warhawks were now back in contention for the win, as UNA held onto a 24-22 lead.

Now trailing by only two points with the set on the line, the Warhawks would score four straight to win set one 26-24 thanks to a huge block by senior Taylor Wood and freshman Karlee Wilkerson and a kill by sophomore Lauren Appleman. 

The final two sets would come a little easier, as ULM was able to hold UNA under 20 points in both. The Warhawks defeated the Lions in set two, 25-18 and set three, 25-19.

ULM held a hitting percentage higher than North Alabama for the entire match, tallying 14 kills in sets one and two. The Warhawks were back to their defensive ways as well, posting nine team blocks, with one solo block from Wood and Griffith a piece.

"Taylor really stepped up with her offensive play today," Friedland said. "She has continuously been a defensive power for us and brings great energy to the court."

Leading the Warhawks in their victory against the Lions was Appleman, who shined at the net with ten of ULM's 37 total kills. "Lauren had a good match all around," said Friedland. "She got a little flustered for a bit, but was able to adapt and get herself out of her slump and be a go to player for us."
 
"Our second match today proved how determined we are as a team," Appleman commented. "We never gave up and fought our way back from a 5-18 gap. We decided to come together as a team and decide that no other team had the right to control the game but us, we were going to push back and take it back from UNA."

The Warhawks concluded the match with a .192 hitting percentage, listed up by Wood's .545 performance. Williams earned 16 assists while Blasingame posted a career-high 18 digs against the Lions. 

"The word of the match is grit. We went down 5-18 and we battled back," Friedland said. "There was a changed in mentality on the court. Something flipped and we went on a few runs to get us back in the match. I'm really proud of how we battled through that deficit and kept our energy and confidence high through the rest of the match."

ULM will face Tennessee Tech on day two of the Tiger Invitational, tomorrow (Sept. 8) at 10 am. Links to live stats 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.