BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The ULM beach volleyball team (6-19, 1-4 Sun Belt) went 1-1 in the opening day of the Blazer Beach Bash, hosted by UAB. The Warhawks first picked up a 5-0 conference win over Mercer before falling to host UAB.
Match 1: ULM 5, Mercer 0
Four of the five matches went to three sets as the Warhawks battled for their first Sun Belt win of the season. In the opening match of the tournament,
Paige Ingersoll and
Avery Hunter got started for ULM. The duo pulled a reverse sweep to claim the win in three sets, 18-21, 21-18, 15-5. On court four,
Brooke Bankston and
Maddie Peterson dropped in a 22-20 score, before bouncing back 21-19 and 15-5 to claim the court. Flight five in
Calli Otjen and
Ava Sondrup also took the match to three sets, picking up the first win, 21-13, then falling in extended time, 28-26. A final set score of 15-8 secured the third court for ULM.
Abby Ryno and
Claire Williamson notched the only two-set sweep of the contest, winning 21-13, 21-13. To round out,
Katie Felts and
Izabela Zukowska claimed the first set, 21-13, before falling in a 21-13 score in set two. A close third set brought a 15-12 score to clinch the 5-0 victory.
Match 2: UAB 5, ULM 0
The duo of Zukowska/Hunter were first out of the gate against the host team, keeping it close but ultimately falling in straight sets (21-19, 21-11). Bankston/Peterson also dropped on court four (21-19, 21-14), as did Otjen/Sondrup (21-6, 21-8). Ryno/Williamson fought valiantly as the first flight, but dropped in a 21-19, 21-17 score. Felts/Ingersoll dropped as well (21-14, 21-17) to secure the 5-0 score in favor of the Blazers.
ULM will be back in action in Birmingham for the second day of the Blazer Beach Bash on Saturday. The Warhawks will face HCU at 8 a.m. and Tulane at 2 p.m.
