MONROE, La.- The ULM Warhawks open the 2019 volleyball season this weekend with three matches at the New Orleans Invitational. The Warhawks are coming off of a 4-0 exhibition loss to Northwestern State.
ULM will take on Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Friday at 1 p.m., host school University of New Orleans at 7 p.m. the same day and will round the tournament out on Saturday against North Dakota at noon.
"At this point in the year, everybody is 0-0 and everybody is going to be very hungry for that first win," said head coach Charlie Olson.
UAPB finished last season at 8-21 and has been picked to finish eighth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
They're also going into the season with a new head coach, 14 new players and are coming off of a 3-1 exhibition loss to Henderson State.
"They're going to be ready, just like we'll be ready," Olson said. "We're going to go into that game with the mindset of going 1-0."
After the game against UAPB, the Warhawks will have a chance to take on New Orleans. The Privateers are picked to finish tenth in the Southland Conference. Olson's experience coming from that conference will be useful to ULM.
"They're super athletic. They were picked low in preseason, but they won't finish there," Olson said. "Millicent [Van Norden] does a very good job of getting quality players in the gym and get them to play at a high level."
UNO will be led by Ehize Omoghibo, who was the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year last season.
"You loved it when Ehize rotated out," Olson said. "She's one of those athletes that you respect her game."
The Warhawks will round the tournament out against North Dakota on Saturday. They're led by new head coach Jeremiah Tiffin and senior Ashley Brueggeman, who is on the verge of the 1,000 kill club.
"Anytime that you can play someone out of region, it's very eye-opening," Olson said. "You're playing the same game, but it tends to be a different style."
Links to live video and stats for each match can be found on ULMWarhawks.com. You can also find ULM Volleyball on Facebook and Twitter at @ULM_VB.
