Warhawks’ season ends in hard-fought loss

Beau Benoit

ThThe ULM volleyball team (7-25;

0-16) fell short of a postseason

win after losing in fifive sets (25-19,

25-17, 17-25,21-25,15-13) versus

Marshall (10-20; 3-13) in the Sunbelt

Volleyball Tournament.

Going 0-16 in conference

matches, the Warhawks had no

reputation to defend entering

Foley, Alabama; however, they did

have a reputation to claim. ThThey

wanted to be seen as resilient and

relentless.

Set one looked maroon and gold

until an attack error by ULM gave

Marshall the lead. ThThe ThThundering

Herd closed out set one 25-19.

In set two, the Warhawks never

held the lead after their fifirst point.

Playing from behind the rest of

the match, ULM lost the set 25-17.

At this point, determination fueled

the team and the entire season

faded into the background.

During the next two sets, the goal

was victory and the Warhawks

took flflight.

ThThroughout set three, ULM

fought to push its lead and force

a fourth set. After a tied score of

seven all, Logan Jeffffus made a kill

that sparked the team back to life.

With morale revived and three

consecutive service aces by ULM,

it was match point. An attack error

on ULM and a kill by Marshall

only delayed the inevitable as Tessa

Gerwig landed the Warhawks

their fifirst set of the tournament,

winning 25-17.

Now, ULM followed on the heels

of Marshall as the Herd attempted

to run away with their fifirst-match

win. ThThe persistence of the Warhawks

made a quick win anything

but easy.

“We still gave everything we had

to fifinish stronger than we started,”

outside hitter Emily Adams said.

ThThis year, we have fifinally begun

pushing teams back, showing

them we can also be a threat in

this conference.”

Match four was a toss-up as no

team ever held a lead of more

than three points. With the score

at 19-18, Madeline Williams

recorded yet another service ace

for ULM and pushed the match to

a fififth set.

ThThe Warhawks started the fifinal

set hot and held the lead for the

majority of the time. Unfortunately,

a kill by Marshall and an

attack error by ULM knocked the

Warhawks offff balance, allowing

the Herd to close the curtains on

ULM’s postseason story.