ULM extends its winning streak to 3-0 by defeating Grambling State - Volleyball
The girls’ volleyball team of the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is rolling on with their success in the 2011 Season. They claimed their third straight win on Tuesday, September 6, while competing against their in-state rival, Grambling State. The Warhawks (ULM) made a clean sweep and pulled off success by sending 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, and 25-12) to the board. This is the first time in history that Warhawks have opened the season with three victories in a row. Previously, they had captured six consecutive matches in 2005.
Match overview
ULM took a good start with 8-2 lead in the first set. Dilonga proved to be a trouble-maker for Lady Tigers and chipped in consecutive points for the Warhawks. The Lady Tigers could not get the right tone and lagged behind. They failed to stop the rising score of the Warhawks and the deficit of points increased. Warhawks attacked in full force and added point after point. They quickly covered the length of first set and earned better status by posting 25-14.
ULM continued with the scoring spree in the following set and did not allow the Lady Tigers to make a comeback. Service errors and ball handling mistakes led Grambling State to a deficit of seven points at 11-4. Opponents’ errors created a perfect opportunity for Warhawks to make a comfortable win in the second set. April Johnson tried to bring some stability to her team but her efforts were wasted as the second set was claimed by the Warhawks and they extended their lead to 2-0.
Lady Tigers saw a two-point lead in the third set. It seemed as if they had grasped the game-plan of the Warhawks but they lost the momentum very soon. Warhawks retook the control of operations and secured the third set with 25-12. Warhawks bagged a well deserved victory and received huge applause from fans.
Key Players
Warhawks received tremendous amount of support from junior Zuzana Markova who reached the double digits in kills. She collected 10 kills and also contributed points via 15 assists in the match. Following in her footstops, sophomore Blanca Ocana did a great job for ULM. She accounted for nine kills and was short a kill to go into the double digits. Meghan McCoy was credited with 14 assists, while senior Lacey Dietlin enjoyed the limelight for 18 digs in the match. Mahogany Dilonga offered solid blocking to Lady Tigers and saved crucial points for ULM. She stuffed a match-high four blocks.
On the other hand, Lady Tigers’ April Johnson put up good effort for her team and collected six kills against Warhawks. DaVarika Johnson led Grambling State team with team-high seven assists and three kills. Chelsee Goins was quick on digging and got her hands on 18 digs. Lady Tigers dropped to 0-7 overall and so far they have won just one set.
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