LAKE CHARLES, La. – ULM volleyball dropped the first of three matches in the Cowgirl Classic this weekend with a 3-1 loss to UT Arlington on Thursday afternoon.
 
The first set started hot for the Mavericks (4-0) as they raced out to a 7-2 lead. The Warhawks (2-2) scored three unanswered to close the gap to two before a 6-2 by UTA put the set out of reach. Trailing 14-9, ULM created a massive push with eight unanswered points, helped by two kills from freshman Aniya Hall and three consecutive aces from setter Morgan Howard.
 
UT Arlington quickly caught back up, using a 5-1 run to take the lead. With the set at 20-20, three straight points by the Mavericks set the tone late as they ran away with the set 25-21.
 
Set two was one to forget for ULM. It quickly fell behind 11-3 early in the set before scoring six of the next eight to shorten the gap to four. UTA used a 7-2 run to pull ahead 20-11, and after both teams traded points, scored the remaining four points to build a 2-0 match lead.
 
In the third set, it was the Warhawks starting hot, scoring the first five points with two aces from Howard and kills from Hall and freshman Kennedy Plummer. With an 8-3 score, UT Arlington produced a 5-0 run of its own to tie the set.
 
After both teams went back and forth, ULM constructed a 6-1 scoring run to pull ahead by five. The Mavericks responded by scoring eight of the next 11 points to tie the set 20-20. With the lead at set point, Hall drove in her fourth set-ending kill of the season and kept ULM alive in the match.
 
The Warhawks were steady at the start of the fourth, building a solid 12-8 lead. UTA worked a 4-0 run to tie the set before three straight from ULM widened the gap again. One 9-1 Maverick run later, and the set was out of reach, as they secured the set and the match.
 
Hall once again led the way in kills with 13, as Kenzie Behl and Chavon Weaver totaled five and four blocks, respectively. Howard tallied 20 assists and a career-high seven aces. Camryn Kimes led defensively with 16 digs.
 
The Warhawks look to bounce back tomorrow with a 1 p.m. match vs. Alcorn State.