HATTIESBURG, Miss. – ULM volleyball starts Sun Belt play 0-1 after a 3-0 (23-25, 15-25, 16-25) sweep against Southern Miss Thursday evening.
 
Aniya Hall produced another impressive performance with 14 total kills, with Morgan Howard leading with two aces.
 
The Warhawks (9-6, 0-1) started strong in set one with a 7-3 score. The Golden Eagles (9-3, 1-0) powered five unanswered points to take the lead. USM controlled the set to an 18-14 score before ULM scored five of the next seven points to close the gap to one. With a 4-1 run, the Warhawks held a one-point lead at 23-22, but three answered points by Southern Miss ended the set, putting ULM in a 1-0 match deficit.
 
The second set started with a 9-9 deadlock. The Golden Eagles executed a 10-2 run to take control with a 19-11 advantage. USM rode the momentum the rest of the way to a 2-0 match lead.
 
With a 9-3 start in the third, Southern Miss took firm control early. Helped by three kills by Hall, the Warhawks were able to work the deficit back to three, but USM responded with a 9-1 run to effectively put the set and match away and give ULM its first conference loss of the season.
 
The second match of the series will be tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Southern Miss Wellness Center.