ULM Warhawks

Ragin' Cajuns (9-0 overall, 3-0 Sun Belt) at ULM (1-5, 0-3)
6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 | 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
Fant-Ewing Coliseum | Monroe, La.
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday
Match Notes

MONROE, La. - ULM volleyball plays its home opener this weekend as they host the rival Ragin' Cajuns for a pair of matches at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The two teams will square off at 6 p.m. Friday and wrap up the set at 1 p.m. Saturday.

It is also senior weekend for the Warhawk volleyball team. The 2020 ULM volleyball seniors will be recognized following the conclusion of Friday night's match at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The senior class includes outside hitter Lauren Appelman, outside hitter Haley Coulter, middle blocker Alix Christie, middle blocker Catherine Griffith and outside hitter Ina Gosen.

FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS
Both matches will be available on live stats at ULMWarhawks.com. A direct link to the live stats is available on the volleyball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. Twitter updates will be available on the official Twitter page of the Warhawks, @ULM_VB.

A LOOK AHEAD
The Warhawks return to the road next weekend to visit Arkansas State in Jonesboro. Match times are set for 5 p.m. Thursday, October 8 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Friday, October 9.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Ragin' Cajuns lead the all-time series with ULM, 40-21.
• The Cajuns have won the last two matches and eight of the last nine matches in the series.
• ULM picked up a 3-0 win over the Cajuns in Monroe on Nov. 4, 2018.
• The Cajuns have won seven of the last eight meetings in Monroe, including last year's 3-1 victory on Nov. 8, 2019.

RECAP
ULM opened Sun Belt Conference play with three losses at two-time defending champion Texas State on Friday and Saturday. The Bobcats won all three matches by identical 3-0 scores.

In Friday morning's meeting, the Bobcats won 25-13, 25-16, 25-18. Senior Haley Coulter led ULM with six kills. Freshman Karson Davis tallied 10 assists. Sophomore Madeline Hogan picked up 13 digs.

In the Friday night matchup, Texas State pulled away for the 25-14, 25-16, 25-14 win. Coulter added eight more kills, while Davis had 12 assists and Hogan earned 15 digs.

In the final match of the weekend Saturday, Texas State took control early and won 25-14, 25-13, 25-12. Coulter led the Warhawks with five kills. Davis had 12 assists. Hogan led the way with 10 digs.

RECAP OF THE LAST MATCH WITH THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
The ULM volleyball team lost to the in-state rival Ragin' Cajuns, 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-12), on Nov. 10, 2019, in Lafayette.

The Warhawks led 8-7 in the first set following an ace by Darby Fisher and a kill by Mikaela Worley. The two sides traded points until the Cajuns used a 3-0 spurt to seize a 13-10 lead. The Cajuns used that momentum to steadily pull away in the set to pick up the 25-17 win.

In the second set, the Cajuns took an early 10-4 lead, but the Warhawks rallied with a 10-2 run to tie the set at 12. The two sides battled close for the remainder of the set, but the Cajuns eventually pulled away to the 25-20 win.

In the final set, the Cajuns jumped out to a 5-1 and eventual 12-4 leads. They did not let up, cruising to a 25-12 win to take the match.

Worley had nine kills, while McKinley Thiede added 15 assists and Chloe Carenza tallied 18 digs.

RECAP OF THE LAST MATCH WITH THE RAGIN' CAJUNS IN MONROE
Chloe Carenza came off the bench to record 18 digs and three service aces, but it wasn't enough for ULM as the Ragin' Cajuns defeated the Warhawks, 3-1 (28-30, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14), on Nov. 8, 2019, at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Cali Assaley picked up a kill to give ULM a 10-9 lead in the first set, but the Cajuns rallied for a 15-12 advantage. The Warhawks answered back as another kill by Assaley put ULM up 18-17. The Warhawks gained control to build a 23-18 advantage, but the Cajuns rattled off five straight points to tie the set at 23. The two sides battled back-and-forth until a bad set by the Cajuns and a service ace by Katie McKay handed the Warhawks the set, 30-28.

The Cajuns responded in a big way in the second set, sprinting out to a 14-5 lead. ULM answered back with a 9-1 run to cut the gap to one at 15-14. After a Cajun timeout, the Cajuns went back on the attack and pushed the lead out to 22-17 before eventually taking the 25-19 win.

In the third set, the Warhawks and Cajuns kept it close for much of the way. ULM secured a 15-12 lead, but the Cajuns rallied to tie it up at 16. The Cajuns capitalized on ULM attack errors to pull away late in the set for the 25-21 win.

In the fourth and final set, the Cajuns raced out to a 12-3 lead and rolled from there to a 25-14 win to take the match.

Assaley led the Warhawks with 10 kills and hit .333 for the match. McKinley Thiede picked up 24 assists and McKay had 18 digs.

WARHAWKS INSIDE FANT-EWING COLISEUM
Friday marks ULM's first home match of the 2020 season. The Warhawks finished 3-8 in home matches in 2019, with all three wins coming in non-conference matches. ULM defeated McNeese State, Alcorn State and Jackson State inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum last year. The Warhawks were 5-6 inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum in 2018, including three more non-conference wins. ULM last defeated a Sun Belt Conference opponent in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Nov. 4, 2018, when they knocked off the Ragin' Cajuns, 3-0.

COULTER CONTINUES TO PACE WARHAWKS STATISTICALLY
Senior Haley Coulter, a transfer from Division II Angelo State, continues to either lead the Warhawks or rank near the top of the team in several statistical categories following the second weekend of the season. The Bradenton, Florida, native led the Warhawks in kills in all three matches against Texas State (six, eight, five). Coulter leads the team with 52 kills, good for 2.74 kills per set. Her 58.5 points leads the team and is a 23-point lead over the next highest total. She continues to lead the team with 80 digs, good for 4.21 per set. Coulter is also tied for the team lead with three service aces.

Coulter made a strong impression in her first weekend as a Warhawk. She set a new career-high with 21 kills in the season-opener against Lamar. Her previous career-high was 16 kills, set least season with Angelo State. She hit .283 for the match. 13 of Coulter's 21 kills came across the final two sets. With the match tied at 1 and Lamar leading late in the third set, Coulter came through with three of ULM's final five points to give the Warhawks the set. She built off the momentum in the fourth set as the Warhawks scored five straight points early in the set with Coulter on the service line. Coulter closed the match with four kills in ULM's final five points to take the 3-1 decision. On top of her 21 kills, Coulter tallied 23 digs in the win. The 23 digs rank as the second-most in her career after coming up with 25 digs for Angelo State in a Lone Star Conference Tournament semifinal match against Arkansas-Fort Smith in November 2019. Coulter played well in the final two matches of the weekend, picking up three kills and 18 digs against SFA and led the Warhawks with nine kills and 13 digs vs. Houston Baptist. For her efforts on opening weekend, Coulter was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

DAVIS MOVES INTO STARTING SETTER ROLE
Freshman Karson Davis started the final seven sets of the weekend at setter for ULM. The native of Conroe, Texas, led the Warhawks in assists in all three matches at Texas State, posting 10, 12 and 12 assists. She ranks second on the team in assists with 51, good for 3.92 assists per set. Davis also has 23 digs, good for 1.77 per set, which ranks fourth on the team.

HOGAN GRABS LIBERO ROLE AT TEXAS STATE
Sophomore Madeline Hogan made her first three career starts at libero against Texas State. She led the Warhawks in digs in all three matches, posting 13, 15 and 12 digs. Hogan was also strong in reception for the Warhawks, making 32 receptions with just two errors in the three matches for a reception percentage of .941.

GRIFFITH EFFICIENT ON OPENING WEEKEND
ULM senior Catherine Griffith returns for her sixth season as a Warhawk in 2020. The Raleigh, N.C., native is one of two Warhawks to start all six matches. She is slated to play in her 100th career match on Friday vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. In the series at Texas State, Griffith was strongest on the block, with one block solo and seven block assists. 

On opening weekend, Griffith started all three matches and picked up 18 kills (1.8 per set). She was efficient on her swings, making just three errors on 45 attacks for a .333 hitting percentage, which leads the team. Griffith also picked up a pair of service aces and tallied four block assists to finish with 22 points over the three matches, ranking second on the team.

Griffith arrived at ULM in 2015 and sat out the season with an injury. Another injury forced her to miss the 2019 season. Griffith enters the 2020 season as ULM's active career leader in matches played (93), started (87), kills (609) and total blocks (233). In 2018, Griffith led the Warhawks in kills (235) and attack percentage (.286).

APPELMAN AND CHRISTIE BACK AS FOURTH-YEAR SENIORS
Seniors Lauren Appelman and Alix Christie look to build off successful 2019 seasons. 

Appelman, a senior outside hitter from Chula Vista, California, averaged 1.40 kills per set in 2019, but her .157 hitting percentage was the best of her career. 

Christie, a senior middle blocker from Beachville, Ontario, set several career highs in 2019, including matches played (28), sets played (90), kills (158), kills per set (1.76), hitting percentage (.270), assists (8), digs (26), block solos (21), block assists (71) and total blocks (92). Christie led the team in blocks and blocks per set and tied for the team lead in hitting percentage. She ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in blocks.

GOSEN AIMS TO BUILD OFF STRONG 2019 FINISH
Senior Ina Gosen returns for her second season on the bayou in 2020. The Goelenkamp, Germany, native has started five of six matches and ranks second on the team with 29 kills (1.53 per set) and seven blocks.

Gosen started all three matches on opening weekend, posting 19 kills, a service ace and three block assists for 21.5 points to rank third on the team. Gosen opened with 10 kills against Lamar and added six more against SFA.

The outside hitter from Goelenkamp, Germany, played in all 32 matches in 2019 and finished second on the team with 67 blocks. She was third on the team with 199 kills. Gosen picked up her play late in the season, most notably in a five-set win at Little Rock on Nov. 15. Gosen set a career-high with 21 kills on 39 attacks, good for a .462 hitting percentage, to go along with six blocks and six digs as the Warhawks knocked off the Trojans for the first time since 1992.

JUNIORS ANCHORED BY ASSALEY AND THIEDE
The 2020 Warhawk volleyball roster features just two juniors: Cali Assaley and McKinley Thiede. 

Assaley, an outside hitter from Columbia, South Carolina, has started five of six matches in 2020. She started all three matches on opening weekend and played in nine out of 10 sets. She ranked second on the team with 20 kills. She notched 11 kills against Lamar, reaching double-digit kills for the fifth time in her career. She added eight more kills against Houston Baptist.

Assaley played in 30 of 32 matches with 113 kills and 27 blocks in 2019. She had the most efficient match of her career against Prairie View A&M on Sept. 6, 2019, connecting for 10 kills with just two errors on 18 attacks, good for a .444 hitting percentage. Later in the season, Assaley picked up 10 kills to go with three blocks against the Ragin' Cajuns on Nov. 8.

Thiede, a setter from Reno, Nevada, has started four of six matches in 2020. She leads the Warhawks with 80 assists (4.44 per set). She started all three matches on opening weekend, coming through with 59 assists (5.9 per set). Thiede tallied 27 assists in the season opener vs. Lamar, 17 against Houston Baptist and 15 against SFA. 

Thiede played in all 32 matches and 110 of 112 sets in 2019. She averaged a team-high 5.35 assists per set, ranking 10th in the Sun Belt Conference. She reached double-digit assists in all 32 matches and topped 20 assists 12 times. She twice earned at least 30 assists, doing so against Prairie View A&M (32) and at Little Rock (30). Thiede earned her first-career double-double at Little Rock with 30 assists and 10 digs.

FIVE SOPHOMORES RETURN IN 2020
The Warhawk roster remains youthful in 2020 as five sophomores return for their second season at ULM. Shaska Davis (outside hitter), Darby Fisher (setter), Madeline Hogan (outside hitter), Hailey Hughes (middle blocker) and Kathryn Raschilla (right side) each made their ULM debuts in 2019. Raschilla led the group with 1.58 kills per set. Fisher ranked second on the team with 4.30 assists per set. Hughes led the 2019 freshman group with a .245 hitting percentage.

At Texas State, Hogan led the Warhawks with 38 digs over three matches. Davis totaled nine kills and made her first career start in Saturday's series finale. Raschilla started two of three matches and posted nine kills.

On opening weekend, Davis tied for the team lead with six kills at SFA. Fisher played in six sets with 17 assists. Hogan played in all 10 sets with 35 digs and had no errors on 41 receptions. Hughes started against SFA and had two blocks and two kills. Raschilla started two of three matches and played in all 10 sets while compiling 11 kills and four blocks.

FOUR NEWCOMERS JOIN WARHAWKS IN 2020
Three freshmen and one senior join the Warhawk volleyball program in 2020.

Senior outside hitter Haley Coulter joins the team as a transfer from Angelo State. The Bradenton, Florida, native played two seasons for the Rambelles, helping them to the 2019 Lone Star Conference tournament championship and the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. For her efforts, Coulter was named honorable mention All-Lone Star Conference after tallying 202 kills, 335 digs and 26 blocks over 103 sets. In 2017, Coulter had 66 kills, 100 digs and nine blocks over 40 sets before missing the remainder of the season and all of 2018 with an injury. Coulter opened her career at Tulsa in 2016, collecting 119 kills, 51 digs and 18 blocks over 64 sets as a freshman.

The freshmen group contains defensive specialist/setter Karson Davis (Conroe, Texas), defensive specialist/libero Chloe Jordan (Pearland, Texas) and middle blocker/right side Emma McWhorter (Spring, Texas). Davis, who was homeschooled prior to attending ULM, helped Christian Homeschool Sports Ministries to an undisputed national championship as a junior. Jordan finished her career as an All-Texas Team selection by the Texas Association of Volleyball Coaches. McWhorter helped Klein Collins High School to its best season in school history, reaching the third round of the playoffs as a junior.