COMMERCE, Texas – The ULM volleyball (1-2) team fell 3-2 (19-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 13-15) to East Texas A&M (2-1) on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 30) to wrap up the Lion Invitational. The Warhawks forced the match to sets four and five, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit. The attempt fell just short when the Lions took the fifth set 15-13.  

Fourth-year Abby Cunningham set a career high in kills with 22, a number that led all the players on the court. She also hit .306, made four digs and had two blocks on the day. She was selected to the Lion Invitational all-tournament team. Fourth-year Morgan Howard also led all the players with 36 assists. Second-year Aniya Hall recorded 14 kills for her third straight game in double digits.  

Fifth-year Briana Raney led the defense with 18 digs, and first-year Amelia Colon broke double digits with 10 digs.  

The two teams opened the match evenly, reaching ties at 6 points apiece, and again at 12 points. The Lions eventually went on a four-point run to lead 18-13, a deficit that was too much for the Warhawks to overcome. A ULM error and an East Texas A&M kill secured the 25-19 set win for the Lions.  

East Texas A&M jumped out to a larger lead early in the second set, going on a 5-0 run to lead 11-5. Kills from Cunningham, Hall and fourth-year Marissa Kobelski brought the Warhawks level with the Lions at 14-14. East Texas A&M took another scoring run to retake the lead, 19-15. Similar to the first set, the Warhawks couldn't climb back, and a ULM service error gave the Lions a 2-0 lead, one set away from clinching the win.  

Two kills from first-year Grace Troxell and a block from fourth-year Marissa Kobelski gave the Warhawks a 9-7 lead in the third set. The two teams traded the lead six times throughout the set, neither leading by more than two points, until back-to-back service aces from fifth-year Briana Raney made it 20-17. Two kills from Hall and Cunningham each clinched the set 25-20 to keep the Warhawks alive and force a fourth set.  

A kill from each team opened the fourth set at 1 point apiece, but unlike the rest of the match, it was the only time the score was tied during the set. The Warhawks controlled the score, going on three three-point scoring runs to build their lead over the Lions. A service ace from Howard made the score 20-14 Warhawks and gave ULM its largest lead in the set. Hall evened the match at 2-2 with a kill, winning the set 25-21. 

The fifth set was evenly matched throughout, with the largest lead for either team coming at 10-7 for the Lions. The Warhawks answered with two kills by Cunningham and a block by Hall and first-year Tatum Clay to tie it at 10-10. The team traded points until ULM won two in a row to go up 13-12, but back-to-back aces clinched the match for the Lions, 15-13.  

The fifth set was the first the Warhawks have played in since Sept. 20, 2025, when the team fell 2-3 at Sam Houston.  

ULM returns to Monroe for its home opener at the newly named b1Bank Fant Coliseum on Tuesday, Sept. 1. First serve is set for 6 p.m. against the Northwestern State Demons.