MONROE, La. – ULM volleyball fell in four sets to the Ragin' Cajuns 3-1 ( Warhawks (15-25, 25-14, 26-28, 25-15, 15-8) Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference action. Tessa Gerwig and Madeline Williams tied for match-high honors with 16 kills and Taylor Thomas led the four Warhawks in double digits with a team-best 15 digs. Ragin' Cajun Coco Gillett had a match-high 21 digs and seven service aces to go along with 15 kills.
"Today, we had the opportunity to celebrate our seniors and graduate students," said ULM head volleyball coach Charlie Olson. "Despite the outcome of the match, each of them got to compete today. Today was a special day for them, and I'm so glad to afford them that opportunity. I want to thank our fans, family members, and students for all their support this season. I'm thankful they get to experience volleyball at a high level and see how vastly we've improved match after match. See you next season in Fant-Ewing!"
Gillett helped the Ragin' Cajuns maintain their lead in the first set and secured the 25-16 victory with five service aces. The Warhawks fought off the set points, but the Ragin' Cajuns took the win off a kill by Lauryn Hill.
The Warhawks came back with a set two win, 25-14, with three ties early on before taking a two-point lead at 7-5 and 8-6. The two teams traded points before ULM scored three-straight points and nine of the next 11 points for a 19-11 score. The Ragin' Cajuns pulled within four at 19-15 and 20-16, but the Warhawks put it away with two kills by Gerwig and single kills by Williams, Jeffus and Thomas down the stretch.
As clean as the first two sets were, the third set saw eight combined attack errors with four by each team. The Ragin' Cajuns rolled out to a 9-1 advantage and held a double-figure scoring lead until the Warhawks had a streak of four-straight scores. The Ragin' Cajuns countered the Warhawks on their kills and went on to win 25-16.
ULM continued to battle in the fourth set as the competition witnessed six ties and five lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points until the Ragin' Cajuns went up 15-12 before the media timeout. The Warhawks responded and pulled back with two at 18-16, but couldn't overcome errors that gave the Ragin' Cajuns timely points and the eventual 25-20 win.
"This weekend's matchup against in-state rival ULL made for a gritty set of matches," "Last night, we went the distance to five sets, and today we played four. Our team continues to play tough, hard-nosed defense and we are continuing to develop offensively. I was very proud of how hard we competed, extended rallies and found ways to score. We played as a team and our subs did an amazing job coming off the bench to play at a high level."
ULM volleyball plays its final four matches on the road with two at Arkansas State next weekend, Nov. 4 (6 p.m.) and Nov. 5 (1 p.m.). Both matches vs. the Red Wolves will be streamed on ESPN+. The Warhawks wrap up the regular season Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 at Georgia State.
