MONROE, La – The Ulm volleyball team dropped the first match of the series vs. Marshall 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-12) on Friday night.
 
For the first time in 2024, the match took place in Fant-Ewing Coliseum after the court was renovated. The Warhawks (4-15 overall, 0-7 Sun Belt) played the first home series against Southern Miss in the ULM activity center.
 
In the first set, ULM took control with a 9-3 start. The Thundering Herd (10-10 overall, 1-6 Sun Belt) answered with a 5-1 scoring run to cut the lead to two. A 5-2 run by the Warhawks produced a five-point lead.
 
With the score at 19-15, Marshall used a 6-2 run to tie the set 21-21. With a 4-1 run, which included two kills by Ariana Brown, the Warhawks took the first set.
 
In set two, it was Marshall with the fast start, going ahead 8-3. With the score at 14-9, the Thundering Herd went on an 8-1 run to take control. They rode the rest of the way to win the set and tie the match.
 
Both teams started even in set three. Marshall held a 15-13 lead before the Warhawks scored four of the next five points to take the lead. A 6-2 run by the Thundering Herd gave them back the lead. With the score at 23-21, they used two final kills to take the lead in the match.
 
The fourth set was all Marshall. The Warhawks had a chance with the score at 15-10, but the Thundering Herd scored the next nine points to end the chance. A service error ended the set and the match.
 
Brown led the team in kills with 15, with Ryley Boyne right behind her at 14. Morgan Howard produced 35 assists, and Cameron Rogers tallied 23 digs.
 
The Warhawks will try and go for a split tomorrow. Match two serves at 2 p.m.