Finally returning to Monroe, the Warhawks served up tacos and a 3-0 win against Jackson State at Tuesday’s match. The win was the fourth straight and brought the Warhawks to a 6-6 record on the season heading into conference play.
Coming into the game, JSU was 1-11 on the season, but head coach Russ Friedland knew they would still put up a fight. “That’s a team that won their conference a few years ago. It’s always a threat when a local rivalry is coming into your house.” Friedland said.
ULM was able to handily defeat JSU in sets one (25-18) and two (25-12) on the backs of both offensive and defensive stars. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Appleman led the team with nine kills and senior setter Presleigh Williams set up 12 assists. On the defensive side, junior defensive specialist Albany Schaffer put up 17 digs while senior middle blocker Taylor Wood and redshirt-junior middle blocker Catherine Griffith combined for 8 blocks, countering JSU’s offensive attack.
Starting in the third set, JSU took the early lead and caused ULM trouble before the Warhawks were able to rally, pulling out the win in the final minutes winning set three 25-22. However, this was all part of the plan by coach Friedland.
“We gave a couple of other players an opportunity to get some experience before we get into conference play. I knew they could get it done. They did a really good job finishing it off.” Friedland said.
Even with a slow start to the third set, the Warhawks looked dominating in their win. And coach Friedland agreed. “I thought it was great. There were some performances that needed some adjustments, but overall, I’m really happy with their preformance.” he added.
The Warhawks traveled home to Malone Stadium on Friday to face off against Texas St.
Though a good effort from ULM, they couldn’t seem to hold off the Bobcats as they fell 0-3.