October 19, 2014

UALR Wins 12th Consecutive Match, Improves to 11-0 in Sun Belt

MOBILE, Ala. – UALR won its 12th consecutive match and improved to 11-0 in the Sun Belt Conference following a 3-1 win over South Alabama on Sunday (25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 25-13).

Junior Sonja Milanovic led the Trojans with her third straight double-double and ninth of the season by getting 17 kills and 15 digs. Milanovic also hit her second-highest percentage of the season with .417.

UALR put up its best performance of the day in the fourth set by getting out to a 9-1 lead in the fourth frame before forcing a South Alabama timeout. The fourth set start was part of 21-4 run going back to the third frame. The closest the Jaguars would get to the Trojans’ lead was six points before UALR finished the set with a 12-point margin of victory. UALR hit a game-high .423 during the set, while South Alabama hit a flat .000.

The Trojans started the third set down 3-7 before going on a 5-1 run to tie the set at 8-8. Both squads kept the battle going until the set was tied at 14. After the tie, whatever momentum South Alabama had carried over from the second set was officially gone as UALR went on a 12-3 run, scoring eight consecutive points to end the set. The Trojans ended the set hitting .385, while the Jags hit .026.

South Alabama led the second set from the wire, getting out to a seven point lead at 14-7. UALR came storming back as it would get within a point at 19-20. However, it wouldn’t be enough as the Jaguars ended the set on a 5-3 run. Despite UALR leading the set with a .149 hitting percentage, South Alabama found a way to win the set hitting only .100.

The first set started out close as both teams battled back and forth until tying the set at 15. After this, UALR went on a 7-2 run with their largest lead coming at 22-17. After UALR earned set point at 24-19, South Alabama tried battling back by scoring four straight points and forcing the Trojans to take a timeout. After the short break, senior Edina Begic capped off the set with a kill, giving the Trojans the first set.

Begic ended the match with 14 kills, pushing her season total to 309.

Sophomore Megan Mathis recorded her third double-double of the season with 34 assists and 10 digs. Mathis also helped the Trojans score points by getting six kills, her highest amount in a four-set match this season.

Senior Adisa Hodzic racked up a season-high of seven kills and six digs.

Sophomore Edina Selimovic had her third-highest block total of the season with eight block assists, while redshirt sophomore Carolee Dillard had the game’s second-highest block assist total with five.

UALR’s 64 digs is the second-highest total this season. The Trojans’ 14 team blocks tied their second-highest block total.

The Trojans outhit the Jaguars by a margin of .272 to .065 with South Alabama recording 34 attack errors to UALR’s 16.

UALR will try to tie the longest winning streak and best conference start in program history when it goes up against Texas State in the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

South Alabama Falls to Sun Belt Leader UALR, 3-1

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball dropped it third-straight match Sunday afternoon as the Jaguars fell 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 15-25, 13-25) to Sun Belt Conference leader Arkansas-Little Rock at Jag Gym in its annual "Dig Pink: match.

The Jags (9-11, 4-6 SBC) will next open up a three-match road trip on Friday night versus Louisiana-Monroe. First serve versus the Warhawks is set for 6 p.m. at the ULM Activity Center.

Mechell Daniel led South Alabama with 14 kills and also added nine digs, while Deanna Canfield finished one kill shy of tying a career high with 13 kills off the bench. Jenna Hassell paced the club with 16 digs in the loss.

The win for UALR (17-4, 11-0 SBC) was its 12-straight. During the current win streak, the Trojans have dropped just six sets.

The all-conference duo of Sonja Milanovic and Edina Begic led the club offensively in the win. Milanovic posted a match-high 17 kills and hit .417, and also added 15 digs and five total blocks, while Begic chipped in with 14 kills of her own.

Arkansas-Little Rock entered the match leading the Sun Belt and ranked 13th nationally in blocks and the Trojan frontline was key in the victory. UALR finished the match with a solo block and 26 block assists for 14.0 total team blocks. Edina Selimovic led all players with eight block assists, while Carolee Dillard and Milanovic each had five blocks.

The 26 block assists by Arkansas-Little Rock were the most by an opponent this season, eclipsing the previous mark of 24 set by Nevada.

South Alabama managed to hit just .065 in the match, while UALR ended the match with a .272 hitting percentage. The Trojans lead the Sun Belt in hitting and rank second in opponent's hitting percentage.

The .065 hitting percentage by the Jaguars was the second-lowest this season for the club.

SET ONE: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 22
South Alabama rallied back from a pair of three-point deficits during the first half of the opening set and kept things close.

The Jags later trimmed their deficit to 17-16 after a block assist from Mallory Moore, Nikki Gittens and Canfield, the Trojans reclaimed control as they answered back with 7-3 run over the next 10 points to hold set-point at 24-19. Milanovic led the charge during the Trojan run as she posted four of her six first-set kills and a block during the scoring spurt.

USA attempted to rally late as the Jags fought off three-straight set points, the last two on kills by Kolby Meeks and Symone Stephenson to cut the deficit to 24-22 and force a Trojan time out. However, coming out of the time out, Begic sealed the 25-22 win for Arkansas-Little Rock as she posted her sixth kill of the match.

Canfield led South Alabama in the opening frame with five kills.

SET TWO: SOUTH ALABAMA 25, ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 22
Led by Daniel, the Jaguars opened up the second set on fire as they captured six of the first seven points. Daniel recorded three of USA's points during that stretch. South Alabama eventually extended its lead out to as much as seven on a couple of occasions, the last coming at 14-7 following a Trojan attack error.

Adisa Hozic and Dillard quickly helped UALR battle back and narrow South Alabama's lead to 15-13. The duo each had a kill and capped off the run with back-to-back block assists.

USA pushed its lead back out to four over the next four points, but Arkansas-Little Rock hang around and trimmed the deficit to 19-18 on an ace by Milanovic. Milanovic recorded all four of UALR's points during the spurt with three kills to go along with the ace.

South Alabama didn't allow the Trojans to tie the set up though and led 23-20 after another kill by Canfield. UALR picked up the next two points to again cut the Jag lead to one, but coming out of a time, Canfield, slammed home her eighth kill of the afternoon and USA then took the set, 25-22, after a bad set by the Trojans.

SET THREE: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 15
Riding the momentum of tying up the match, South Alabama picked up the first three points of the third set and seven of the first 10 to take the early lead.

UALR quickly tied the set back up at 8-8 and later took its first lead of the frame at 13-12 after a kill from Mathis. Moore and Canfield picked up the next two points for the Jags with back-to-back kills to give USA a 14-13 advantage.

However, the Trojans would close strong as they ended the set on an 11-1 run to take the frame, 25-15. Milanovic once again provided much of the scoring for Arkansas-Little Rock ass he had three kills and an ace. USA then committed five straight attack errors to end the set.

Hitting percentage was the key stat category in the third set as UALR had 12 kills and just two attack errors and hit .385. South Alabama finished the frame with nine attack errors and a .026 hitting percentage.

SET FOUR: ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 25, SOUTH ALABAMA 13
Leading two sets to one in the match, UALR grabbed control early in the fourth and final set, beginning the frame on a 9-1 run. The Trojans later extended their lead out to double digits (14-14) following a kill by Begic.

USA got as close as seven late in the set, but UALR eventually went on to take the match and the set with the 25-13 victory.

UALR registered 10 block assists in the final frame and held USA to a .000 hitting percentage, while posting a .423 percentage.

NOTES: The match versus UALR was the Jaguars "Dig Pink" match. South Alabama falls to 3-26 in the all-time series versus the Trojans with the loss and 1-14 on its home floor. The 13 kills by Deanna Canfield were a season-high and finished one kill shy of tying a career high for the Jag junior. South Alabama's second-leading scorer Jessica Lewis did not play in the match due to illness. The 26 block assists by Arkansas-Little Rock were the most by an opponent this season, eclipsing the previous mark of 24 set by Nevada. The .065 hitting percentage by the Jaguars was the second-lowest this season for the club.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Bobcats Claw Past Red Wolves, 3-1

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State and Arkansas State went to five sets twice in 2013 and Sunday’s match looked like it was headed that way until the Bobcats clinched it in four (25-17, 25-21, 21-25, 26-24) to improve to 14-9 on the season and 9-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Lauren Kirch was strong throughout the match, finishing with 16 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. She added two aces, three blocks and three digs for Texas State.

In the third set, Keeley Davis came on strong, putting down six kills in the frame and finishing with 12 kills on a .312 hitting percentage. She added two blocks and five digs.

Meanwhile, defensively at the net, Amanda Watkins dominated for the Texas State. She put down six blocks, three of which were solo blocks. She even tallied a block with one hand in the second set.

Shelby Vas Matt led the team in digs with 12 while Kelsey Weynand and Sierra Smith both had 11 digs each. Setter Jordan Moore added nine while Brenna Lyles was able to dig eight. Moore gave out 19 assists, but Ali Gonzales gave 30 assists with eight digs. Smith added seven more assists for the Bobcats.

Texas State dominated the first set, hitting .345 in the frame with 12 kills and just two errors. The Bobcats held Arkansas State to just a .053 hitting percentage, forcing nine errors in the opening frame. Both teams hit well in the second set, but the Bobcats had the edge, .273 to .211. It was a close set, but Texas State stayed on top to win it, 25-21.

After the intermission, the Red Wolves came out with a renewed vigor and jumped out to a 6-3 lead. Arkansas State pushed the lead up to 15-9 before Texas State four in a row behind the service of Kirch to close the gap to 15-13.

Down 21-16, the Bobcats made another run sparked by Davis, who was unstoppable in the third frame. Her and Kirch teamed up for two blocks in the run while Davis added a kill to help Texas State go on a 4-0 run to pull within one, 21-20. Arkansas State stayed in control late and lasted one more set with a 25-21 victory in the third.

The fourth set was some of the most exciting volleyball the fans at Strahan Coliseum have seen all season. The Bobcats jumped out to a 7-1 lead to start the fourth with kills from Watkins, Jordan Kohl and Alexandra Simms. Texas State extended the lead to 11-3, but the Red Wolves made the slow climb back, ultimately tying the set at 17-17.

After that, Arkansas State took a lead at 19-18 on a kill from Shelby Holmes and again at 20-19 on a Texas State error. Down one, the Bobcats scored three consecutive points with a kill from Kohl, an ace from Kirch and an ASU attack error to go up 23-21. Arkansas State again clawed back to tie the fourth set at 23-23 and also at 24-24.

That’s when Simms, a senior outside hitter, came up big with a kill in the middle of the court to put Texas State up 25-24. Vas Matt followed it with a kill off the block to clinch it for Texas State.

The Bobcats will have another split weekend next week, playing the team’s first match of the week on the road at Sun Belt Confernece leader UALR at 7 p.m. Thursday before returning home to host Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. Saturday.

A-State Volleyball Drops SBC Match to Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas (10/19/14) – The Arkansas State volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 24-26) Sun Belt Conference decision to Texas State Sunday afternoon at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos, Texas.

After falling behind by two sets, the Red Wolves (11-8, 6-3 SBC) jumped ahead of the Bobcats (14-9, 9-2) by a score of 12-8 after a Kariana Castanon-Hill kill in the third set. After a Texas State timeout, the Bobcats recorded the next point but a 3-0 A-State run, capped by a Drew Jones, Kelsey Reis, and Castanon-Hill block gave the Red Wolves a 15-9 lead. The Bobcats got as close as one point at 21-20, but the Red Wolves used a 4-1 run to clinch a 25-21 victory and cut the Texas State lead to 2-1.

The fourth set didn’t start out as the Red Wolves had planned with Texas State racing out to a 7-1 lead before A-State used a timeout. After the timeout, Arkansas State settled down and cut the Bobcats’ lead to three points a 14-11 before Texas State used a timeout. When play resumed A-State went on an 8-4 run, capped by a Shelby Holmes kill, to take a 19-18 lead, but both teams were tied 24-24 a few points later. Texas State tallied the next two kills and took the set by a score of 26-24 and won the match by a count of 3-1.

“It was just too little, too late for us,” A-State volleyball coach David Rehr said. “We competed really well in the last three sets after dropping the first one the way we did. We can’t start out the match that way though and have to get better.”

Jones led the Red Wolves with 12 kills, while Reis and Castanon-Hill added 10 each. Mallory Warrington dished out 43 assists and had 17 digs to register her 14th double-double of the season. Defensively, Markie Schaedig led the team with 18 digs and Jessica Uke had 6 blocks to help A-State record its second-highest block output of the season with 12.5.

Texas State began the match on an 11-5 run in the first set, but A-State clawed its way back to within one point at 15-14. The Bobcats responded with a 10-3 run to take the first set 25-17. The Red Wolves and Bobcats battled to an 11-11 tie in the second set, but an 8-4 run by Texas State allowed the Bobcats to gain control at 19-15. A-State got as close as 24-21, but Texas State earned the next point for a 25-21 set victory and 2-0 match lead.

The Red Wolves return to action Friday, Oct. 24 when they host Appalachian State. First serve from the Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m., and fans can keep up with the entire match’s action by viewing live stats at AStateStats.com and by following @AStateGameday on Twitter. For the latest on the A-State volleyball team follow the squad on Twitter (@stAteVolleyball).

Georgia Southern Wins Third Straight, Tops UL Lafayette 3-1

STATESBORO, Ga. – Cathrine Murray (San Diego, Calif./Clairemont) led three Georgia Southern players in double-figure kills with 15 as the Eagles posted a 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 29-27) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over UL Lafayette Sunday afternoon in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Megan Chevalier added 14 kills and two blocks for the Eagles (5-15, 5-6), who won their third straight league match. Jamie DeRatt tallied 14 kills and nine digs, while Kat Minnerly posted 50 assists, 11 digs and three aces. Kym Coley finished with eight kills and three aces.

Sara Mossakowski tallied a match-high 17 kills to go along with 10 digs and three blocks for UL Lafayette (15-8, 5-7). Chanelle Gardner had 14 kills and five blocks, and Kaylee Nemeth posted 10 kills and five blocks. Andrea Hole finished with 47 assists and eight digs.

Georgia Southern had one of its best offensive outings of the season as the Eagles hit .269 and served for nine aces as a team. The Eagles erased a 24-21 deficit and fought off a total of four set points to win the fourth frame and close out the match.

“We were leading a couple sets when we played UL Lafayette at their place, and we just weren’t able to finish,” said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. “We didn’t execute, and we knew we needed to execute better coming into today. We executed and finished the match today, and I think that’s something we’re starting to learn - how to finish matches.”

Trailing 24-21 in the fourth set, the Eagles scored three straight points with the help of an ace by Coley and a block by Minnerly and Leah Joseph. After Mossakowski put down a kill, Georgia Southern fought off another set point as DeRatt got a kill. With the score tied 27-27, the Ragin’ Cajuns put a serve into the net, and Mossakowski’s attack sailed long to end the match.

With the match tied 1-1, the Eagles pushed a 15-14 advantage into a 22-14 cushion as Coley served for six straight points. The senior middle had two of her three aces during the run, while Joseph tallied a solo block and a kill.

The Eagles cap a three-game homestand against Savannah State in their annual Dig Pink Match Tuesday in Hanner Fieldhouse. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority has partnered with Georgia Southern Athletics to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Pink Georgia Southern wristbands are available for $5 from the Georgia Southern Athletic Marketing Office. Proceeds will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, which in turn awards grants to medical research organizations and entities dedicated to providing patient services to breast cancer patients and their families. Fans can also donate online to Georgia Southern's Dig Pink event.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.

Ragin’ Cajuns Fall At Georgia Southern

STATESBORO, Ga. – The Ragin’ Cajuns got a double-double from Sara Mossakowski, but Georgia Southern was too much on Sunday afternoon, handing Louisiana a 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 29-27) loss at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Louisiana (15-8, 5-7 SBC) was close to forcing a decisive fifth set, leading 24-21 in Set 4, but Georgia Southern (5-15, 5-6 SBC) rallied back to force extra points in the set where it would eventually close out the match.

The Eagles had three players with at least 14 kills, led by Catherine Murray’s 15 scores.

Meanwhile, the Cajuns hit a solid .244 for the match, led by Mossakowski’s match-high 17 kills and 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Chanelle Gardner had 14 kills on 25 swings and five blocks, and Kaylee Nemeth added 10 kills on 21 swings of her own.

Andrea Hole dished out 47 assists while Caitlyn Auxilien’s 12 digs led the team.

Mossakowski converted four of her seven swings in the first set into points, and Nemeth had four as well; however, the Eagles had four players with at least three kills in the first set to stake themselves to a 1-0 lead.

The Cajuns responded with their best offensive set of the day in Set 2, hitting .371 with five kills from Gardner. A 9-2 run in the middle of the set gave UL the cushion it needed to tie things up, closing it out on their fourth set-point try with a kill from Gardner.

In the third set, Georgia Southern hit .400 and grabbed an early 7-3 and never trailed. UL got to within two points at 16-14, but that was as close as it would be as the Eagles finished off the frame on a 9-2 run.

Louisiana responded with 19 kills in the fourth set, led by seven kills from Gardner and six from Mossakowski. A block from Hole on an attack by Catherine Murray put UL just a point away from extending the match; however, Georgia Southern answered with three straight points to tie it up at 24-24. Mossakowski put one home to give UL another set-point try, but again the Eagles answered, this time with consecutive points of their own. UL fought off one match-point try, but could not do it the second time with a service error and an attack error providing the final two points of the match for the Eagles.

The Ragin’ Cajuns will next take on Georgia State in Atlanta on Friday before returning home for consecutive home matches against Abilene Christian (Oct. 27) and Texas State (Oct. 31).

Team effort spurs UTA to four-set victory

TROY, Ala. - UT Arlington relied on a complete team effort in a four-set victory over Troy on Sunday afternoon as the Mavericks had four players reach double digit kills, four players notch double-digit digs and three players register a double-double.

The win puts the Mavericks at 18-5 this season with an 8-3 record in conference play while Troy falls to 9-15 overall with a 1-11 mark in the Sun Belt.

Taylor Gross paced the team offensively with a career high 19 kills while hitting .395. Gross also chipped in five digs and three blocks in the four-set victory.

Briana Sharratt continued her outstanding play on Sunday as the sophomore MB put up 15 kills to go along with a hitting percentage of .393 and five blocks.

Notching her 15th double-double of the season was freshman OH Qiana Canete registering 29 digs paired with 11 kills.

Amanda Welsh recorded her fifth double-double this season as she dished out a season high 41 assists to go along with ten digs. Welsh notched one service ace which brings her one ace shy of becoming the 15th player in UTA history to join the 100-Ace Club.

Caitlyn Cooney was the third Maverick player to put together a double-double effort as she compiled 30 digs with 13 assists.
UTA hit .250 in the match while holding Troy to a hitting percentage of .196. The Mavericks also out dug the Trojans 98-87.

UT Arlington will return to the court on Friday, Oct. 24 when they host Georgia Southern at College Park Center with the match set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Troy Volleyball Drops Another Tight Match

TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team couldn’t snap its losing streak and again dropped a close match, this time to UT Arlington, 3-1 (25-23, 35-37, 25-23, 25-23), on Sunday afternoon at Trojan Arena.

Troy (9-15, 1-11) has now last 11 straight matches, with many of them being tight matches, including Sunday’s when UT Arlington (18-5, 8-3) scored just four more points than Troy on the day. The win was the fifth straight for the Mavericks.

Marija Zelenovic posted a career-high 24 kills and hit .375 with just six errors to lead the Trojans offense. Blair Winston chipped in 16 kills and hit .283 while Symone Shaw had 14 kills. Tineille Waggoner had 33 assists, but left the match midway through the third set. Reina Terry took over from there and posted 17 assists as Troy hit .196 as a team.

UT Arlington hit .250 on the match with Troy posting 12.0 total team blocks, led by seven from Darby Griff. Ali Dowdall went over 30 digs for the third time this season as she posted 33 to lead all players. Zelenovic and Waggoner each had a double-double with 17 and 12 digs, respectively.

The Trojans and Mavericks played four very close sets, including the first that featured nine ties, the latest at 22-22. From there, UTA scored three of four to take the 25-23 win.

The second set was one to remember, with 20 ties and eight lead changes on the way to a 37-35 Troy win. UT Arlington took a 6-1 lead early, but that was an after thought once Troy caught up at 12-12. From there it was back-and-forth set with Troy having eight set points and UTA having four before the Trojans won 37-35.

The Mavericks led the third set, 17-10, before Troy scored eight of nine to tie the score at 18-18. With the score tied at 23-23, the Mavericks scored two straight to take the 25-23 win.

Both sides hit well in the fourth with UTA posting a .475 attack percentage and Troy hitting .372. The Mavericks scored 22 of their 25 points on kills and won the clinching set, 25-23.

Taylor Gross had 19 kills and just two errors to lead UT Arlington. Three other Mavericks posted 10-plus kills while Caitlyn Cooney led the way with 30 digs. Qiana Canete had 29 digs for the Mavericks to go along with 11 kills.

The Trojans return to the court on Saturday when they host Georgia State at 7 p.m. at Trojan Arena.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.

Mountaineers Push Past UL Monroe in Five Sets

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball pushed past UL Monroe on Sunday afternoon, take the match in five sets with scores of 25-22, 27-25, 27-29, 21-25 and 15-9.

The Mountaineers (17-4, 7-4 Sun Belt) overcame two losses in the third and fourth sets to come back and beat the Warhawks (7-17, 1-10 SBC) in the fifth.

The Apps started out the first set with a quick 6-3 lead, but UL Monroe would go on a 7-2 run to take a 11-9 lead over App State.

An Appalachian timeout proved to be a good idea as the Mountaineers came back from the break to go on an 8-2 run, finding kills from Lauren Gray, Emily Corrigan, Jacqui Spurgeon and Caroline Wainright to help them lead 20-14.

The Warhawks would come within one point of the Mountainees but it would not be enough as the Apps took the first 25-22.

With the score tied at five at the beginning of the second set UL Monroe would gain momentum, going on a 5-1 run for a 9-6 lead.

The Apps would tie the set at 11 with a kill from Cassidy Stephenson and then take a 15-12 lead, but the Warhawks would not go away, tying the score eight more times.

With the score tied at 23 the Warhawks would find two points to lead 25-24 before App would score the last three points of the set, featuring two kills from Gray, to take the second 27-25 and lead the match 2-0.

Appalachian jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the third set and would not let UL Monroe within three points of them until the Warhawks found four-straight points off Appalachian errors to tie the third at 15.

From there the Mountaineers would take another lead, making the score 20-16, but UL Monroe would not give up, suddenly scoring five-straight points to lead 21-20.

The end of the third set featured seven tied score as neither team could hold on to a lead until the Warhawks ended the set with a kill, taking the third 29-27.

UL Monroe got the early lead in the fourth set, leading Appalachian 12-9. The Apps continued to trail by no more than four points until UL Monroe would find three-straight points for a 21-16 lead.

The Mountaineers scored four-straight to trail 24-21 but it was not enought as the Warhawks took the fourth 25-21 to tie the match 2-2.

App State started the fifth set in control, finding kills from Corrigan, Stephenson and Jess Keller to take a 8-3 lead. From there the Apps would on a 5-1 run to lead 13-5, but then the Warhawks made their move, finding four-straight points to trail by only four points.

The Mountaineers finished out the set, taking the next two points to win the fifth 15-9 and take the match 3-2.

Corrigan led the Mountaineers on offense with 24 kills. She was followed by Gray's 16 kills, while Keller and Stephenson each notched ten in the victory.

Paige Brown recorded a season high of 61 assists and also tallied 14 digs. Meghan Mahoney led on defense with 24 digs on the day, while Olivia Reed had 12, Gray recorded 11 and Corrigan added ten.

Hope Pawlick led the Warhawks with 19 kills, while libero Marcela Araya had 40 digs.

The Apps hit .144 on the match, while holding UL Monroe to a .138 hitting percentage. Appalachian tallied 12 blocks to the Warhawk's nine. Gray led App State with six blocks in the match.

The Mountaineers return to action next weekend when they travel to Arkansas to take on Arkansas State on Friday and UALR on Saturday.

Warhawks Comeback Effort Halted by Mountaineers

BOONE, N.C. – The ULM volleyball team's valiant comeback effort was not enough as Appalachian State collects a decisive fifth set to squeak past the Warhawks, 3-2 (25-22, 27-25, 27-29, 25-21, 15-9) Sunday afternoon at the Holmer Center in Boone, N.C.

Sophomore duo Hadley Swartz and Hope Pawlik were on fire all match, for ULM 6-17, 1-10 Sun Belt) as both outside hitters eclipsed the double-digit kill mark for the 10th time this season.

Swartz collected 17 kills, six digs, two aces and two blocks. Pawlik was just shy of a double-double after amassing a season-high 19 kills to go with nine digs, one ace and one block.

On the verge of defeat down two sets to none, ULM was able to regroup during intermission. Tied at 25-25 late in set three, the Warhawks capitalized on a Mountaineers (17-4, 7-4 Sun Belt) error and a Hope Pawlik kill to capture their first set of the weekend.

A dominant 25-21 fourth set triumph by ULM forced a final stanza. However, Appalachian State got back on track to clinch the final set (15-9) and there first victory over the Warhawks in program history.

Marcela Araya was downright dominant on the defensive side of the ball with arguably her best match of the year. The senior libero tallied a season-high 40 digs to go with five assists and two aces.

Bayleigh Hoffman picked up the eighth double-double of her career. The freshman from York, Pa. notched 46 assists, 13 digs and four blocks. Sophomore Kaitlyn Shearer blocked a career-high seven balls, while adding nine kills on 24 swings (.208).

Despite playing only three sets, Baylee Willingham finished second on the team with 15 digs. Jennifer McClendon and Kimberlie Alvarado chipped in with six kills and five kills, respectively.

The Warhawks return to action Friday at home versus South Alabama. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside the Fant-Ewing Coliseum.