ULM Warhawks

THIBODAUX, La. - The ULM Warhawks ended their weekend at the Clash on the Cajun Bayou with a 4-0 record, taking down Loyola New Orleans, Nicholls, LaGrange and New Orleans over play on Friday and Saturday at the Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex.
 
The 4-0 weekend brings the Warhawks record to 8-0, making it the best start to a season since 2019.
 
No. 1 pair Julia Blazek and Kaitlyn Nowak along with the No. 3 pair of Brooke Hoven and Tamsie Black ended the weekend as the top ranked pairs in the country in their respective groups, according to CollegeBeachVB.com. Hoven says the rankings are the result of hard work.
 
"I was super excited when I saw that us (Hoven and Black) and our 1's (Blazek and Nowak) were a ranked pair," Hoven said. "We've been putting in a lot of work, and it's exciting to see it pay off."
 
Hoven and Black were a force to be reckoned with at Nicholls, letting only one team score over ten points on them and beating every pair they faced in straight sets.
 
"Brooke and I have very similar playing styles and attitudes," Black said. "This makes it very simple and easy for us to connect so quickly and work together so well. We communicate well on and off the court and know what we both need from each other. I think that our connection will just get better with every match."
 
The Warhawks opened the weekend with a 5-0 win over Loyola New Orleans. Avery Reynolds and Claire Williamson opened with a statement win at No. 4, beating Kiarelis Martinez and Emily Sheperis, 21-9, 21-7. The Beck sisters, Kaylie Beck and Kaitlyn Beck, at No. 5 put ULM up 2-0 with a win over Gabby Masiello and Elizabeth Prado, 21-11, 21-9. The Warhawks clinched the win at the threes with Hoven and Black defeating Brittany Cooper and Samantha Ingram, 21-8, 21-13. Blazek and Nowak continued to bring in the wins as they took court one, 21-13, 21-12, against Madeline Corrall and Kala Emanuelli. The No. 2s, Madeline Marquez and Rylin Adams, completed the first sweep of the weekend with a win over Preslie Boswell and Juliet Petruzelli, 21-19, 21-10.
 
The Warhawks then swept Nicholls, 5-0, to end the day on Friday undefeated. The Beck sisters started the night game off with a quick win at No. 5, beating Hailey Mason and Ja'Mya Holmes, 21-10, 21-11. The No. 4 pair of Reynolds and Williamson put the Warhawks up 2-0 with a win over Bethanie Durant and Alisha Wischkaemper, 21-8, 21-9. ULM sealed the win at the No. 3 spot with Hoven and Black defeating McKay Wilson and McKenna Malone, 21-9, 21-6. At No. 1, Blazek and Nowak kept the wins rolling in beating Kennedi Steele and Aspen Steele, 21-17, 21-11. The No. 2 pair of Marquez and Adams finished the night off in a very high energy match, taking down Katie Jones and Luciana Chuong, 21-16, 21-12.
 
Saturday morning opened in a very out-of-order way, starting off with the 2s and 4s in the first wave due to LaGrange only having 4 pairs. Reynolds and Williamson kicked the morning off with a big win at the No. 4 beating Vianca Colon-Gonzalez and Rhaya Harwell, 21-6, 21-3. At No. 2, Marquez and Adams got in on the action defeating Riley Morgan and Carmen Hamilton, 21-13, 21-5. This win put the Warhawks up 3-0 due to LaGrange not having a No. 5 pair. At No. 3, Hoven and Black then put the Warhawks up 4-0 after beating Morgan Martin and Alexis Childers, 21-7, 21-8. At No. 5, Katie Felt and Kaylie Beck still got a chance to play against LaGrange, beating their No. 4 pair, Vianca Colon-Gonzalez and Rhaya Harwell, 21-4, 21-1. Blazek and Nowak completed the sweep on court one with a win over Bailey Moss and Zentrina Choice, 21-10, 21-6.
 
The Warhawks completed the weekend in a gritty fight with New Orleans, winning the match 3-2. This win was anything but easy with two matches going to three sets including the match to clinch the win.
 
"This was a full team win," ULM head coach Michael Hobson said. "This win started a week ago when our pairings were watching film and competing in practice. All of our team competed in this match with their preparation and support of each other during the match. I am very proud of Julia and Kaitlyn for stepping up to the pressure and sealing the win for us, but we don't have that opportunity if the Beck sisters and Brooke and Tamsie also perform at the top of their game.  Also, not to mention the energy Julia and Nowak got from having their whole team beside them supporting every point through the tough third set."
 
Kaitlyn Beck and Kaylie Beck stated things off at the No. 5 with a very physical win over Valentina Echeverri and Rita Zecchin, defeating them 21-18, 21-12. At No. 4, Reynolds and Williamson took the game into three sets, but couldn't quite pull it off falling to Hannah Volpi and Valerie Vujnovich, 21-17, 17-21, 15-11. Hoven and Black cruised to an easy win at No. 3, defeating Ashley Salazar and Ivana de Carvalho Peixe, 21-10, 21-9, putting the Warhawks up 2-1. At No. 2, Marquez and Adams just couldn't find their groove fast enough and after putting up a fight in the second set, they eventually fell to Trinity Jackson and Alexa Spartz, 21-12, 24-22. With the match on the line, Blazek and Nowak at the No. 1 court rose to the occasion. After being down seven points late in the first set, Blazek and Nowak clawed their way back to take set one, 26-24, but then dropped set two, 21-11, forcing a deciding third set. Blazek and Nowak came out on fire in the third set, jumping out to an 8-4 lead before ultimately taking down Ania Esarte and Maria Ozaeta, 15-11, to clinch the win for the Warhawks.
 
Nowak had nothing but praise for her teammates on the sideline.
 
"The impact my teammates made on the sideline was huge," Nowak said. "Julia and I talked after we won the match and both of us realized we couldn't have done it without them. The constant cheering, dance moves and laughter from the sideline was unmatched. I knew my teammates had my back and I couldn't have asked for anything more."
 
The Warhawks travel to Mary-Hardin Baylor this weekend where they will play East Texas Baptist and Southwest Baptist on Friday before facing UMHB and Hendrix on Saturday.
 
ULM 5, Loyola New Orleans 0
1. Julia Blazek/Kaitlyn Nowak (ULM) def. Madeline Corrall/Kala Emanuelli (LOYNO) 21-13, 21-12
2. Rylin Adams/Madeline Marquez (ULM) def. Juliet Petruzelli/Preslie Boswell (LOYNO) 21-19, 21-6
3. Brooke Hoven/Tamsie Black (ULM) def. Brittany Cooper/Samantha Ingram (LOYNO) 21-8, 21-13
4. Avery Reynolds/Claire Williamson (ULM) def. Kiarelis Martinez/Emily Sheperis (LOYNO) 21-9, 21-7
5. Kaylie Beck/Kaitlyn Beck (ULM) def. Elizabeth Prado/Gabby Masiello (LOYNO) 21-10, 21-7
Ext. Madeline Williams/Katie Felts (ULM) def. Natalie Burkholder/Sydney Love (LOYNO) 21-7, 21-9
 
ULM 5, Nicholls 0
1. Julia Blazek/Kaitlyn Nowak (ULM) def. Kennedi Steele/Aspen Steele (NICH) 21-17, 21-11
2. Rylin Adams/Madeline Marquez (ULM) def. Katie Jones/Luciana Chuong (NICH) 21-16, 21-12
3. Brooke Hoven/Tamsie Black (ULM) def. McKay Wilson/McKenna Malone (NICH) 21-9, 21-6
4. Avery Reynolds/Claire Williamson (ULM) def. Bethanie Durant/Alisha Wischkaemper (NICH) 21-8, 21-9
5. Kaylie Beck/Kaitlyn Beck (ULM) def. Hailey Mason/Ja'Mya Holmes (NICH) 21-10, 21-11
Ext. Katie Felts/Madeline Williams (ULM) def. Taylor Heeb/Caitlin Green (NICH) 21-6, 21-9
 
ULM 5, LaGrange 0
1. Julia Blazek/Kaitlyn Nowak (ULM) def. Bailey Moss/Zentrina Choice (LC) 21-10, 21-6
2. Rylin Adams/Madeline Marquez (ULM) def. Riley Morgan/Carmen Hamilton (LC) 21-13, 21-5
3. Brooke Hoven/Tamsie Black (ULM) def. Morgan Martin/Alexis Childers (LC) 21-7, 21-8
4. Avery Reynolds/Claire Williamson (ULM) def. Vianca Colon-Gonzalez/Rhaya Harwell (LC) 21-6, 21-3
5. Katie Felt/Kaylie Beck (ULM) def. Vianca Colon-Gonzalez/Rhaya Harwell (LC) 21-4, 21-1
 
ULM 3, New Orleans 2
1. Julia Blazek/Kaitlyn Nowak (ULM) def. Ania Esarte/Maria Ozaeta (UNO) 26-24, 11-21, 15-11
2. Trinity Jackson/Alexa Spartz (UNO) def. Rylin Adams/Madeline Marquez (ULM) 21-12, 24-22
3. Brooke Hoven/Tamsie Black (ULM) def. Ashley Salazar/Ivana de Carvalho Peixe (UNO) 21-10, 21-9
4. Hannah Volpi/Valerie Vujnovich (UNO) def. Avery Reynolds/Claire Williamson (ULM) 21-17, 17-21, 15-11
5. Kaylie Beck/Kaitlyn Beck (ULM) def. Valentina Echeverri/Rita Zecchin (UNO) 21-18, 21-12
Ext. Katie Felts/Madeline Williams (ULM) def. Serena Baumgart/Sydney Gott (UNO) 21-19, 21-12