MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The ULM volleyball team wanted to leave its mark on Memphis, and that it did. After a hard-fought five-set match against Memphis and a sweep of North Alabama yesterday (Sept. 7), the Warhawks defeated Tennessee Tech in 3-0 fashion for their second-straight sweep of the Tiger Invitational. 

"It was really enjoyable to watch this team go out and compete this morning," said head volleyball coach Russ Friedland. "We were mentally ready and felt prepared."

The Golden Eagles opened the match with four straight points and the Warhawks would trail until a five-point rally sparked by a Catherine Griffith kill that put ULM ahead 21-19 in set one. ULM maintained the lead for the remainder of the set and a kill by freshman Kate Blasingame. 

In set two, ULM would start with a 10-6 lead, but not before Tennessee Tech would score four straight to tie the score with back-to-back service aces. The score would tie again at 13-all, but kills by Tara Jenkins and Griffith would help the Warhawks gain a three-point lead that would stand until the end. ULM took set two in a 25-22 decision. 

Now with the two-set lead, the Warhawks were determined to secure the win and the sweep in set three. ULM would lead by as many as 12 en route to its 25-15 win over Tennessee Tech. 

Blasingame continues to be a force for the Warhawks, putting up 13 kills and nine digs in ULM's fourth win. Griffith followed with nine kills of her own.

"Our setters are doing a great job distributing the ball so we have multiple weapons in every rotation and we did a great job of terminating the ball when the opportunity arose," Friedland said.

"Both Kate and Karlee [Wilkerson] had great outings today, and our middles are working extremely hard to make themselves available and pull blockers so our pins are one-on-one."

Jenkins was the go-to setter for the Warhawks, with 22 assists, senior classmate Presleigh Williams added 12 to ULM's 44 total assists.

The Warhawks tallied 45 kills in the victory, compared to TTU's 29. They also out blocked the Golden Eagles, seven to four. 

"Overall I'm proud of their performance as a team today and I'm excited about the momentum we are building as we get closer to conference play," Friedland said. "I want to personally invite all our fans to come out this Friday night and see what all the hype is about."

ULM will open up its home slate on Friday, Sept. 14th at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Links to live stats and video 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.