BELTON, Texas - The ULM beach volleyball team kept its hot streak rolling after finishing the weekend 4-0 at the Mary Hardin-Baylor tournament. The Warhawks are 12-0 on the season to continue the best start in program history.
"Being undefeated to this point is a great accomplishment, but what is even more important and impressive to me is our progression over these first three weekends," head coach Michael Hobson said. "It really sets us up nicely for what we have in front of us. This hot start is something that has never happened in the history of this program and what I needed this team to know is how good they are. They can see it and feel it, as well as been able to keep our team mindset of progressing every opportunity we get to have. I believe this is what was needed for this program to take the next step and understand for ourselves we are a threat to compete at the highest level."
At UMHB, the Warhawks opened with a 5-0 win over East Texas Baptist. Avery Reynolds and Claire Williamson kicked off the match with a quick win over Libby Gear and Nadia Brockway, 21-7, 21-5, at court four. The new No. 5 pair, Madeline Williams and Katie Felts, followed suit with a win over Riley Tuck and Shelby Freudensprung, 21-5, 21-14. Brooke Hoven and Tamsie Black sealed the win for the Warhawks at No. 3, defeating Hope Shipp and Mollee McCurley, 21-8, 21-4. The No. 2 pair, Madeline Marquez and Rylin Adams, continued to bring in the wins, beating Riley Reneau and Annika Demuth, 21-10, 21-6. Julia Blazek and Kaitlyn Nowak completed the sweep at No. 1 with a win over Ashely Salas and Madison McDonald, 21-12, 21-11.
ULM then turned around to play Southwest Baptist Friday night, taking the win 4-1. Kaitlyn Beck and Kaylie Beck opened the night game at No. 5 with a win against Julia Becker and Carlee Lill, 21-19, 21-5. Reynolds and Williamson pulled out the second win at the No. 4s, taking down Madison Satterly and Paityn Kramer, 21-15, 21-12. Adams and Marquez clinched the win at the No. 2s, beating Katie Pogue and Gabrielle Belcher, 21-8, 21-11. The No. 3s, Hoven and Black, also pulled out a win after a gritty first set, defeating Janel Pido and Loran Pritchett, 21-19, 21-5. Blazek and Nowak fell just short at the No. 1s, losing to Bailey Lasater and Azalea Clendennins, 21-19, 21-18.
The Warhawks opened Saturday afternoon in a similar fashion to Friday with a 5-0 win over UMHB. Kaitlyn Beck and Kaylie Beck began the morning with a win over Jada Kaye Wilson and Katie Warden, 21-8, 21-11, at the No. 5s. Reynolds and Williamson quickly followed at No. 4s, beating Avery Mercer and Kendall Jeffers, 21-10, 21-14. Adams and Marquez started the second wave off with a win at the No. 2s, defeating Julianna Green and Brooke Grissom, 21-4, 21-11. Blazek and Nowak also brought in a win at the No. 1s, beating Olivia Sherbert and Shelby Broekhuizen, 21-9, 21-6. The No. 3s, Hoven and Black, wrapped up the match with a win over Mindy Conger and Faith Clark, 21-9, 21-16.
The weekend finished with ULM defeating Hendrix, 5-0, to move to 12-0 on the season. The Beck sisters opened up the last match of the weekend with a win at the No. 4s, beating Avery Evans-Brooks and M. Fuller-Freeman, 21-6, 21-14. The No. 5s, Williams and Felts, pushed for a win over Isabella Eurgil and Faith Hill, 21-16, 21-17. Hoven and Black clinched the win at the No. 3s, beating Morgan Ford and Mabrey Matz, 21-12, 21-7. The No. 2s, Adams and Marquez, brought in another win defeating Rebecca Solina and Eliana Oden, 21-13, 21-17. Blazek and Nowak got a hard-fought win at the No. 1s, taking down Abby Collier and Kyler Greenlee in a three-set match, winning 21-9, 19-21, 15-13.
As the Warhawks move into the next weekend at Sugar Beach in Youngsville, Louisiana, Hobson says his team is playing with confidence and a ton of momentum behind them.
"Our team is on this upward trajectory, and we need to have in mind that the only thing that can stop that is ourselves as we control our enthusiasm and effort every day," Hobson said.Â
The Mardi Gras Classic, hosted by Southeastern in Youngsville, begins on Friday as ULM faces  Spring Hill College and HCU on Friday and Nicholls and SLU on Saturday.
