On March 7, the ULM beach volleyball team (5-5) faced the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (4-6). This was the second match of the ULM Bayou Bash—a two-day event of play between ULM, LSU and SFA from March 7-8. Additionally, the Warhawks are coming off a mixed performance at LSU Tiger Beach Challenge, where they won two of four matches.
Despite the gloomy overcast and windy conditions, the sand courts boomed with action-packed competition.
Kaitlyn Beck and Madeline Marquez secured a comfortable win in two sets, scoring 21-16 and 21-18 for pair one.
For pair two, Abby Ryno and Claire Williamson hunkered down and pulled out a win after the Ladyjacks forced a third set. The Warhawks took the first set 21-18, but SFA’s Kelly Johnson and Elaina Amador refused a Warhawk-sweep and claimed the second set 21-18. Ryno and Williamson accepted the challenge and closed out the final set 15-8.
Though ULM failed to secure wins in the remaining games, the last three pairs put up noteworthy performances.
In pair three, Katie Felts and Avery Hunter battled the Ladyjacks in three sets after dropping the second set 19-21. The third set ended in a 15-12 SFA victory.
The Warhawks’ fourth pair, Maggie Cox and Zsa Zsa Ferguson, played impressively in the first set. The score remained close for most of the set, but ULM led initially thanks to clever tips above the tape and aggressive kills. Both teams then faced bouts of scrappy errors, resulting in a tie and additional play for two points to establish a winner. The Ladyjacks eventually won 26-24 and maintained their momentum to take the second set 21-14.
For pair five, Gracie Behneke and Kobie Fowler recovered and won the second set 21-16 after dropping the first by 11 points. The Warhawks battled point-for-point, but the Ladyjacks escaped with a 15-13 victory.
Overall, ULM fell short by a single match, but head coach Baylee Young continues to emphasize strategy as one key factor to the team’s future success,
“Being aggressive and competent is most important, and that is the strategy that we go into every game with,” Young said.
The Warhawks will face SFA for the second time at the Bayou Bash on March 8 at 9 a.m. and follow with their second match versus LSU at 2 p.m.
