The Warhawks beat in-state rivals Cajuns in five-set thriller: Volleyball News
The women’s volleyball team of University of Louisiana, Monroe, added a new chapter in the history of school’s volleyball program by defeating archrivals Lafayette Cajuns on Sunday, October 9. The ULM Activity Centre in Louisiana, Monroe recorded a stellar
performance by the ULM Warhawks, when they held off Cajuns for a 3-2 (30-28, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 15-10) victory.
The visiting Lafayette squad managed to overcome the early deficit of 0-2 before falling to the Warhawks in the decisive final set of the game. The hosts earned their third conference victory of the season and improved their overall record to 9-7 and 3-3
Sun Belt Conference (SBC) record.
Junior setter of Warhawks, Zuzana Markova, put up a great effort for her team. She scored a match-high 19 kills at .366 hitting percentage and also notched a match-high 29 assists. She proved her ability to be the most effective player of Warhawks with great
efficiency on both attack and defence side. She was also credited with 8 digs and kept shy of a triple-double in the match. Senior Meghan McCoy also got a double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs, which helped ULM to stay ahead of the opponent.
There was nothing to separate two teams in the opening set of the game. Players of both sides actively participated in attacks and traded frequent leads. The first frame saw 16 ties and 10 lead changes. The long run of the opening set finally reached an
end at 30-28 and Warhawks enjoyed 1-0 lead over Lafayette Cajuns.
Second set progressed in the same fashion and the score was very close. The hosts Warhawks had the confidence of one set in hand and played to their full potential. Likewise, Cajuns did not take any pressure and continued with their spirited effort to return
in the game. They tried to put pressure on the Warhawks via back-to-back attacks. However, the home team dealt with the situation quite efficiently and extended its lead to 2-0 by winning the second set 25-21.
The Lafayette squad turned up the offense in the third and hit back aggressively. Cajuns regrouped in the third set and threw everything in the attack to cover the deficit. It was not an easy task to overcome the charged-up Warhawks but Cajuns’ valiant effort
led them to success in third set. They returned the third set with identical score of 25-21 and finally found their feet in the game.
Fourth set was more of a balanced-fight as the ball stayed in the air most of the times and both sides struggled to save every single point. Luck accompanied Cajuns and they were able to create a dead-lock of 2-2 with victory in Set 4, which forced the Warhawks
to play a fifth set.
It was a great comeback for Lafayette ladies in previous two sets but they failed to cope with hard-hitting of ULM in the final set. The hosts posted 15-10 on board and claimed match victory.
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