MONROE, La – The ULM volleyball team (3-5) defeated McNeese (0-7) 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 25, 19) on Thursday evening to get back in the win column. Freshman Grace Troxell led the Warhawk offense, making a career-high 12 kills on .333 hitting.
Abby Cunningham (11) and Aniya Hall (10) reach double-digit kills as well, while Marissa Kobelski hit .636 on eight kills.
The Warhawks and Cowgirls traded points to open the match, swapping the lead until McNeese took a 4-0 run lead 10-7. ULM came storming back, going on a four-point run, three of which were Eden Pietrzak aces, to lead 15-14 at the media timeout. Pietrzak's three aces marked a new career high in a single match. The two teams continued to fight back and forth, all the way until Abby Cunningham's kill made the score 23-22, and the Warhawks went on to win the set 25-22.
ULM took an early 10-8 lead to open the second set after a 4-0 run highlighted by two kills from Grace Troxell. Both teams kept trying to take a commanding lead, but neither team led by more than two points until the set point. Back-to-back kills from Aniya Hall and Marissa Kobelski made it 24-22, and Kobelski's first solo block of the night won the set for the Warhawks.
The Cowgirls took multiple consecutive runs to lead by as many as five throughout the set, leading at the media timeout, and forcing ULM to use one as well. McNeese took the set on their largest lead of the night, winning it 25-19 and forcing a fourth set.
The Warhawks opened the fourth set with a 5-0 run to lead 10-7 after being down as many as three points, forcing a McNeese timeout. The Cowgirls responded with a five-point stretch of their own, tying the score at 15-all. The Warhawks jumped out to a three-point lead after an ace from Aniya Hall, her sixth of the year. ULM cemented the set with a 7-0 late run, sealing the win on a Cowgirl error.
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will take on Northwestern State in Ruston for a neutral-site match. First serve is set for 4 p.m. CT.
