The Warhawk indoor volleyball team took on the defending Sunbelt conference champion Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a conference game on Friday night during the “Volley for the Cure” Pink Out game to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation.

The Warhawks started out slow in the first set, allowing the Hilltoppers to take a 6-0 lead.

The Warhawks then answered back with four points of their own and then stayed competitive throughout the first set.

Despite this effort, the Hilltoppers took the first set 25-19.

The second set was rocky for the Warhawks, they came out strong but did end up losing it 25-14.

“That’s why they are number one in the conference, they don’t quit on plays and they make you make unbelievable plays then make you do it two or three more times,” said head coach Patrick Hiltz

“A couple of times we were just as scrappy as they were, they are just technically able to do it longer than we can.”

The third set was the closest of the game. The Warhawks took the lead with the Hilltoppers close behind.   There were 11 score ties during this set and four lead changes.

Hadley Swartz and Kaitlyn Shearer led the attacks for the Warhawks, with eight kills.

Shearer had an attacking percentage of 0.316 percent in front of the crowd of 290 fans.

“I think it definitely helps to have more people here at our matches, because during those long rallies, everyone gets loud and intense with us and that amps us up even more and that helps us to fight through every point,” said Swartz.

Despite the crowd support the Warhawks lost the match 3-0.

Sunday they met Georgia State at Fant Ewing Coliseum.

“I expect them to fight us just as much as they did last time, they really took it to us. We are going to have to focus on what we are doing on our side of the court, hopefully we can give them a better match, because we really need it”, Hiltz said prior to the Sunday match.