ULM Warhawks

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The ULM volleyball team (2-5) fell 0-3 (22-25, 24-26, 18-25) to the San Francisco Dons (4-3) to close out the GCU Invitational on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 6).  

Fourth-year Abby Cunningham led the Warhawks with 12 kills, her fourth match of the year in double figures. She added two aces and nine digs to her performance.  

Eden Pietrzak led the backline with 15 digs, while Morgan Howard had 18 assists.  

The match opened with a tightly contested first set that saw 14 ties. Nine of those came before the media timeout, while each team fought to establish themselves in the match. The Dons jumped out just before the break to lead 15-13, going into the media timeout. Fifth-year Briana Raney brought the score even at 16 apiece on her fifth ace of the year. ULM fought back to an 18-17 lead, thanks to kills from Abby Cunningham and Kenzie Behl, forcing San Francisco to regroup with a timeout. The Dons went on a 3-0 run out of their break, and fended off the Warhawks, even after the match tied once again at 20-20.  

The Warhawks took an early 6-3 lead in the second set, capitalized by Abby Cunningham's first ace of the year. The lead grew to four when Marissa Kobelski and Grace Troxell combined for a block, making the score 9-5. San Francisco responded with a 7-0 run, establishing a lead as large as four points. The Dons never conceded that lead, taking it all the way to set point. But the Warhawks continued to battle, tying it at 24 apiece on Abby Cunningham's second ace of the set and the year. The Dons went on to take the set on an ace of their own, 26-24.  

The third set was evenly matched through the beginning, with a tie at 12-12. San Francisco then took a 6-0 run to lead 18-14. The Dons held on throughout the end of the set, clinching the match with a 25-18 win.  

UP NEXT – 

The Warhawks return home to host McNeese on Thursday (Sept. 10). First serve is set for 4 p.m. in b1Bank Fant Coliseum.