ULM volleyball finishes 1-1 on final day of Bulldog Invitational
… – The ULM volleyball squad was swept by Southern Utah University before posting its second win of the season in straight sets versus University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Saturday at the Bulldog Invitational inside Newell-Grissom.
SUU 3, ULM 0
The ULM volleyball team suffered its second defeat of the season in straight sets (25-14, 25-17, 25-16) against Southern Utah University Saturday morning at the Bulldog Invitational inside Newell-Grissom.
“We did a good job hitting around the block but now we are hitting around the block and right into the defense,” head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “We were getting frustrated when we were getting dug – getting frustrated that we were not getting a point right away, swinging harder and making errors. I told the girls, ‘You keep giving us 100 percent, we will find the areas that we need to improve on.’ We will go back to the drawing board in practice and get those areas improved.”
After a kill from junior outside hitter Taylor Zaeske brought the first set to within one at 11-10, SUU (3-0) began to pull away by scoring the next four points in the set. Zaeske hit three well-paced control shots for kills in the set, but ULM (1-2) posted a .025 attacking percentage, committing nine errors on 10 kills in 50 total attempts.
The second set was tied at 13 before T-Bird outside hitter Madi Forsythe took over, recording two kills in the next three points. Forsythe powered seven kills in the second set alone and a match-high 17 total. The offensive struggles continued for the Warhawks, this time committing one more error (9) than kills (8).
The story in the third set was senior Kimberlie Alvarado, who filled up the stat sheet with two kills, four digs and three blocks (assisted) in the stanza. ULM had the third-set deficit to within one at 11-10, but Forsythe carried SUU with seven kills in the set and lead the T-Birds to score 14 of the final 20 points of the match.
Zaeske was the only Warhawk attacker to finish with double-digit kills (11). Sophomore setter Bayleigh Hoffman recorded her second consecutive double-double with 19 assists and 13 digs. Juniors Kacey LeBlanc (20) and Hope Pawlik (15) also notched more than 10 digs apiece.
“Taylor has been consistent all weekend,” Hiltz said. “Her passing has been on target, her energy has been at a high level this whole weekend so I am really proud of the way she has played early on in the season.”
ULM 3, UAPB 0
Five different ULM attackers fired at least five kills in the Warhawks’ sweep (25-13, 25-22, 25-20) over the Lady Lions Saturday afternoon inside Newell-Grissom.
“It was good to see Presleigh (Williams) get some action,” Hiltz said. “I thought she did a really nice job running the offense. At times it seemed like we were not even missing a beat. We would take Bayleigh out, put (Presleigh and Sarah Woods) in and everything just continued to roll smoothly. What we saw against Pine Bluff is what we can do offensively when we pass the ball and play within ourselves.”
ULM (2-2) showed its offensive potential in the first set, converting on 15 kills complemented by a .367 attacking percentage. Five Warhawk attackers finished with at least two kills, including Zaeske with four and freshman Sarah Woods, who finished the set a perfect 3-for-3. The turning point came tied at four apiece when freshman Presleigh Williams’ jump-float serve had UAPB scrambling, leading to four straight Warhawk points.
The second set was a tight one at 22 apiece until the Warhawks scored the final three points via two kills and a UAPB attacking error. Woods and Zaeske led the charge with four kills apiece in the stanza.
With the third set knotted at 19, junior Kaitlyn Shearer smashed a kill and then served the next three points during a 4-0 Warhawk run. With a 24-20 ULM advantage, sophomore Jennifer McClendon and junior Hadley Swartz combined for a block to close the match.
Williams dished out an impressive 18 assists in her season debut while Woods smashed seven kills, good for second among all attackers. Zaeske finished with a match-high eight kills and nearly secured a double-double with 10 digs. Swartz added eight digs and six kills. The Warhawks converted on 61 percent of side-outs.
The Warhawks head to the Jacksonville State Tournament next weekend where they will play a similar schedule to this past weekend, two games on Friday and two games on Saturday, beginning with Wofford and Alabama A&M and concluding with Alcorn State and Jacksonville State.