SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The ULM beach volleyball team moved over the .500 mark for the first time in the 2021 season when it conducted a 5-0 sweep of Ottawa (Kan.) when the two units clashed at Missouri State on Wednesday, March 24.
The Warhawks won back-to-back matches in their trip to Springfield, coming through with a 3-2 victory over the host Bears in the earlier match, which also provided ULM with its second Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) match win.
MATCH 2: ULM 5, Ottawa 0
The first point of the match for ULM came from the duo of
Kaitlyn Nowak and
Holland Ponthieux, who posted a 21-9, 21-12 victory over Allie Bauer and Elisa Haug in No. 5 action. Teammates
Abbey Bufkin and
Elizabeth Moreland were also successful in a two-set victory for the Warhawks as the No. 2 pairing took down Jessica Gibson and Dennis Dafay 21-5, 21-12. Bufkin and Moreland drew national recognition this week, by Collegebeachvb.com, when they were named as the No. 8 pair of fourth-seeded units.
Katie McKay and
Anna Demmer, recognized as the 17th-ranked No. 2 pair nationally by Collegebeachvb.com, earned the decisive point of the match for ULM when the No. 3 seeds emerged with a 21-5, 21-10 victory over Kourtney Collins and Stefanie Mitchell. Both
Abigail Elder and
Kayla Gallant stretched that Warhawk lead to 4-0 when they defeated Taylor Mobley and Adrianna Skipper in the meeting of second seeds. Elder and Gallant were named as the No. 7 duo nationally, by Collegebeachvb.com, as a third-seeded unit.
ULM completed the perfect 5-0 sweep after the tandem of
Audrey Brooks and
Julia Blazek, recently ranked 13th nationally by Collegebeachvb.com, came through with a 21-17, 21-8 victory over Tina Sesa and Hannah Murray when No. 1 seeds collided.
No. 1.
Audrey Brooks /
Julia Blazek (ULM) def. Tina Sesa / Hannah Murray (Ottawa) 21-17, 21-8
No. 2.
Abigail Elder /
Kayla Gallant (ULM) def. Taylor Mobley / Adrianna Skipper (Ottawa) 21-4, 21-11
No. 3
Katie McKay /
Anna Demmer (ULM) def. Kourtney Collins / Stefanie Mitchell (Ottawa) 21-5, 21-10
No. 4
Abbey Bufkin /
Elizabeth Moreland (ULM) def. Jessica Gibson / Dennisa Dafay (Ottawa) 21-5, 21-12
No. 5
Kaitlyn Nowak /
Holland Ponthieux (MSU) def. Allie Bauer / Elisa Haug (Ottawa) 21-9, 21-12
Order of Finish
5, 4, 3*, 2, 1
*Clinched Match Point
MATCH 1: ULM 3, Missouri State 2
The Warhawks began their trip to Springfield with a 3-2 win over Missouri State in the opening match.
The Bears (4-2) grabbed the early 1-0 advantage when the fifth-seeded tandem of Brooke Plessner and Gaba Galabova earned a 22-20, 21-19 win over
Kaitlyn Nowak and Ponthieux. ULM answered with a point of its own after No. 3 seeds Demmer and McKay earned a straight set victory against Parker McAllen and Kylee Davis by scores of 21-15, 21-17.
Bufkin and Moreland pushed the Warhawk lead to 2-1 following a 21-8, 21-17 triumph against Tory Penick and Pamela Jamie in the clash of No. 4 seeds. ULM seized the opportunity to cinch its 10th win of the season when Brooks and Blazek posted a 21-11, 21-18 victory against fellow No. 1 seeds Chloe Filipski and Tylar Garrett.
Missouri State's Chloe Tome and Grace Cook claimed the final point of the match with a 21-13, 15-21, 15-12 decision over Gallant and Elder in the clash of No. 2 seeds.
1. Brooks, Audrey/Blazek, Julia (ULM) def. Filipski, Chloe/Garrett, Tylar (MSU) 21-11, 21-18
2. Tome, Chloe/Cook, Grace (MSU) def. Gallant, Kayla/Elder, Abigail (ULM) 21-13, 15-21, 15-12
3. McKay, Katie/Demmer, Anna (ULM) def. McAllen, Parker/Davis, Kylee (MSU) 21-15, 21-17
4. Bufkin, Abbey/Moreland, Elizabeth (ULM) def. Penick, Tory/Jaime, Pamela (MSU) 21-8, 21-17
5. Plessner, Brooke/Galabova, Gala (MSU) def. Nowak, Kaitlyn/Ponthieux, Holland (ULM) 22-20, 21-19
ULM looks to extend its two-match winning streak on April 2-3 when the Warhawks travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to compete in the Southern Miss Beach Invitational.
