MONROE, La. – The ULM Warhawks battled until the very end, but it wasn't enough as they fell to Appalachian State, 3-0.
"If you come out expecting a quality opponent to make it easy, it's going to be a long night," head coach Charlie Olson said.
The Warhawks (9-10, 0-4 Sun Belt) stumbled early on in the match and the Mountaineers (8-9, 4-0 Sun Belt) capitalized on the opportunity.
During the set, a service ace by Kate Blasingame and a kill by Ina Gosen gave ULM some momentum, but Appalachian State held strong and rolled to a 25-11 set one win.
The Warhawks regained momentum between the sets and came out during set two swinging. Kills by Lauren Appelman and Gosen tied the set up at six.
"We came out in the second set and turned the switch on and made it competitive," Olson said.
The Mountaineers rebounded, but ULM stayed very close and a kill by Blasingame gave the Warhawks a 15-14 lead.
Appalachian State scored three unanswered points, but a kill by Mikaela Worley tied the set back at 19. The two teams traded points until the Mountaineers took control and won set two, 25-23.
"Our defense gave us opportunities to put it away, but our offense came up short in some of those long rallies," Olson said.
ULM jumped out to a quick set three lead. A kill by Blasingame gave the Warhawks a 6-3 lead. Appalachian State turned the momentum and a kill by Grace Morrison tied the set at 15. ULM went back on the offensive with four unanswered points, but the Mountaineers' physicality came through and Appalachian State won set three, 25-21.
"We made it tight, but we just have to finish," Olson said.
The Warhawks will take to the road for a 6:30 p.m. matchup on Friday against Troy.
Links to live coverage, including video and stats, for Friday's game against Troy can be found on the volleyball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. Follow along with all things Warhawk Volleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @ULM_VB.
