ULM Warhawks

ATLANTA – Only a few things separated ULM and Georgia State volleyball Thursday night as the match was even in so many categories, but the Panthers took the 3-1 win (24-26, 25-18, 22-25, 10-25) at the GSU Sports Arena. Kills, attacks and service aces were almost identical and the digs total was in ULM's favor, but the Warhawks had double the attack errors (24-12) which hindered its chances to win.
 
Georgia State's Julianna Truscott and Erin Wyatt teamed up with 16 and 15 kills, respectively, while Livy Kowalkowski dug out a game-best 19 balls. The Panthers hit .312 for the match while the Warhawks had their second-best outing in Sun Belt Conference action with a .204 hitting percentage and totaled 53 kills and 52 assists in the four-set match, their second-highest totals in league play.

Logan Jeffus posted the Warhawks' highest kills total with 12 with Tessa Gerwig adding 10. Callie Humphrey led ULM again in the digs category as the Warhawks repeatedly fought back against the Panthers. Down 22-17, ULM scored seven-straight points to take a 24-22 lead for set point. Two kills by Georgia State and two errors by the Warhawks gave the 26-24 win to the Panthers.
 
ULM established its lead early and extended it for a 25-18 win in set two. The Warhawks went up 5-1 and then outscored Georgia State by almost a 2:1 margin to take the largest lead of nine at 21-12. The Panthers made a late comeback rally, but ULM was already in control of the set. Five of Jeffus' kills came in set two with Madeline Williams contributing four to the winning effort.
 
In another closely contested set, the Warhawks and Panthers had nine ties and neither team had a scoring stretch of more than three as Georgia State won 25-22. Ties came at 5,6,7, 8, and 9 before the Panthers took a 15-11 lead. The two teams traded scores until Gerwig tied the match at 18. She had two more kills, but GSU scored on three of the final four possessions.
 
ULM was starting to get rolling in the fourth set until the Panthers charged ahead and never looked back. With the match tied at 7-7, Georgia State found overdrive and scored 10 of the next 11 points before the Warhawks took a timeout. ULM added its ninth point on a kill by Gerwig, but the momentum swept the Panthers to the lead. The Warhawks scored once more and GSU finished the match on the right side of a 25-10 score.
 
The r­egular season for ULM volleyball wraps up Friday, Nov. 11 at Georgia State. First-round action for the Sun Belt Conference Championship begins on Wed., Nov. 16.