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ULM Sweeps SFA to Earn Friday Split at Fight in the Fort

ULM Sweeps SFA to Earn Friday Split at Fight in the Fort

Beach Volleyball Mar 19
FORT WORTH, Texas – The ULM beach volleyball team earned a split Friday in a pair of matches on the opening day of the Fight in the Fort, hosted by TCU, as the Warhawks rebounded from a 3-2 loss to New Orleans in the morning to post a 5-0 victory over SFA in the afternoon.
 
ULM concludes play in the Fight in the Fort Saturday with matches scheduled against Arizona State at 9:30 a.m. and No. 3-ranked TCU at 3:30 p.m.
 
New Orleans 3, ULM 2
 
In its first match of Day 1 at the Fight in the Fort, ULM dropped a 3-2 decision to New Orleans. The Warhawks defeated UNO in the opening tournament of the spring, 3-2, in Houston.
 
ULM jumped out to a 1-0 lead as the No. 5 pairing of Abbey Bufkin and Abigail Elder defeated Serena Baumgart and Liz Gialanella in straight sets, 21-18, 24-22. The Privateers evened the match at 1-each as the No. 4 duo of Hailey Melerine and Taylore Louviere posted three-set win over Madison Gray and Kaitlyn Nowak, 21-19, 15-21, 15-12.
 
UNO clinched the match with back-to-back victories at flights one and two. At No. 1, Lucie Pokorna and Ania Esarte knocked off Audrey Brooks and Julia Blazek, 21-19, 21-17, and Hannah Volpi and Maxine Walsh followed with a three-set win over Elizabeth Moreland and Brooke Hoven, 21-14, 18-21, 19-17.
 
At No. 3, ULM's combination of Kayla Gallant and Rylin Adams captured a three-set victory over Trinity Jackson and Alexa Spartz, 14-21, 21-12, 15-13.
 
"Our morning match against UNO was a complete battle from start to finish," ULM Director of Volleyball Charlie Olson said. "Conditions were not ideal as we started the match before sunrise and had to deal with 40-plus mile-per-hour wind gusts and sustained winds of 20.
 
"It was the second time we've faced UNO, and we ended up on the short end, 3-2; however, it helped us refocus moving into the match this afternoon."
 
1. Lucie Pokorna/Ania Esarte (UNO) def. Brooks, Audrey/Blazek, Julia (ULM) 21-19, 21-17
2. Hannah Volpi/Maxine Walsh (UNO) def. Moreland, Elizabeth/Hoven, Brooke (ULM) 21-14, 18-21, 19-17
3. Gallant, Kayla/Adams, Rylin (ULM) def. Trinity Jackson/Alexa Spartz (UNO) 14-21, 21-12, 15-13
4. Hailey Melerine/Taylore Louviere (UNO) def. Gray, Madison/Nowak, Kaitlyn (ULM) 21-19, 15-21, 15-12
5. Bufkin, Abbey/Elder, Abigail (ULM) def. Serena Baumgart/Liz Gialanella (UNO) 21-18, 24-22
 
Match Notes:
New Orleans 9-4
ULM 4-8
Order of finish: 5,4,1,2,3
 
ULM 5, Stephen F. Austin 0
 
In the afternoon session against SFA, ULM seized control of the match early by posting three consecutive victories in straight sets.
 
Bufkin and Elder opened the match with a 21-17, 21-14 win at No. 5 over Suzana de Oliveria and Callie Neumann. Gray and Nowak followed with a 21-16, 21-13 victory over Sadie Shipman and Toby Sherman at No. 4 and Moreland and Hoven clinched the match for ULM with a 21-17, 21-16 win over Barbara Martin and Maren Wisener at No. 3.
 
The Warhawks completed the sweep with a pair of three-set wins at the second at first flights. At No. 2, Gallant and Adams outlasted Olivia Unnasch and Madison Horton, 21-18, 13-21, 15-13 while Brooks and Blazek claimed a 22-20, 19-21, 15-10 triumph over Natalie Bennett and Madison Hall at the No. 1 position.
 
"We've had a great week of practice coming into this weekend, and we knew we had an opportunity to not only continue to play high level team, but also focus on ourselves, our execution of play, and overall team energy," Olson said. "SFA took advantage of us in Monroe a few weeks ago (4-1) and we didn't want a repeat performance.
 
"Each pair learned from the UNO matches and we laser-focused in the SFA dual. I was very proud of the team win and high-level execution this afternoon. Any time you can earn a team sweep, you celebrate. We will enjoy our time together this evening and turn the focus to two more nationally-ranked opponents, in Arizona State and host TCU. We are ready for the challenges."
 
1. Brooks, Audrey/Blazek, Julia (ULM) def. Natalie Bennett/Madison Hall (SFA) 22-20, 19-21, 15-10
2. Gallant, Kayla/Adams, Rylin (ULM) def. Olivia Unnasch/Madison Horton (SFA) 21-18, 13-21, 15-13
3. Moreland, Elizabeth/Hoven, Brooke (ULM) def. Barbara Martin/Maren Wisener (SFA) 21-17, 21-16
4. Gray, Madison/Nowak, Kaitlyn (ULM) def. Sadie Shipman/Toby Sherman (SFA) 21-16, 21-13
5. Bufkin, Abbey/Elder, Abigail (ULM) def. Suzana de Oliveria/Callie Neumann (SFA) 21-17, 21-14
 
Match Notes:
ULM 5-8
Stephen F. Austin 7-7
Order of finish: 5,4,3,2,1
 
 
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