Sept. 28, 2014
Final Stats
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington used a strong defensive showing to post a 3-0 sweep (25-22, 25-17, 25-19) over ULM on Sunday afternoon at College Park Center. The Mavericks defensive performance was a complete team effort as six players recorded blocks to help UTA out block ULM 11-4 in the match.
"We are going to be a tough team to handle when things are going our way in the backcourt and then making teams try to stop so many options in the frontcourt," UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour said. "We try to keep things focused on our side of the net and if we play good on our side of the net we can beat anybody in the nation."
With the win, the Mavericks improve to 13-3 on the season and 3-1 in the Sun Belt while ULM falls to 6-12 this year and remains winless in conference play.
Taylor Gross led UT Arlington offensively as she recorded a match-high 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .524. The Allen native also helped chip in defensively, recording three blocks and two digs.
"The last couple games I felt like I wasn't on my game offensively so today I knew I had to turn it up a little bit to get my confidence going," Gross said. "I knew Welsh and I were going to get a bunch of opportunities so I mixed it up a little bit by throwing some tips in there to keep myself from being too predictable."
Caitlyn Cooney's play defensively helped hold the Warhawks to a .088 hitting percentage as the junior Libero recorded 21 digs and five assists in the match. Cooney also hit a career milestone early in the match as she became the 19th player in UTA history to join the 1,000-dig club. Cooney currently sits at 1,018 career digs.
"It means a lot to me," Cooney said. "I know there are a lot of good players who have played at UTA and I'm excited to be a part of that history."
The blocking charge for the Mavericks was led by Ashley Bennett and Briana Sharratt who recorded five and four blocks respectively in the match. Bennett's five blocks moved the senior MB into 13th all-time in career blocks with 313. Freshman Qiana Canete also did her part in the win as she came one kill short of a double-double with 18 digs and nine kills.
Leading 18-17 in the opening set, the Mavericks took their largest lead of the match thanks to a 3-0 run that was highlighted with kills by Sharratt and Canete. ULM tied up the set at 21, but UTA responded by ending the set at 25-22 with a 4-1 run that was capped off with a Gross kill.
Gross led the charge for the Mavs in the opening set as she recorded six kills and a hitting percentage of .667. Canete also helped out as she notched four kills, a hitting percentage of .500 and four digs.
The second set looked to stay close early on as a block by ULM cut UTA's lead down to one point at 14-13. The Mavericks then answered back by going on an 11-3 run that was highlighted by three UTA blocks, giving the Mavs the set at 25-17.
The difference in the second frame came at the net as UTA recorded five blocks to just one for ULM. Bennett picked up three blocks in the set while Cooney did her part defensively, recording nine digs. The Mavericks also outhit the Warhawks .273 to .019 in the set.
After an error by the Mavericks cut their lead down to one point at 9-8 in the third set, UTA stormed back with a 6-1 run that was finished with a Gross kill off of an Amanda Welsh set. The Warhawks did their best to force a fourth set as they cut down the Mavericks lead to two points at 18-16, but the push came too late as UTA finished with a 7-3 run that finished the set and the match.
A pair of seniors led the Mavs in the final frame as Gross and Bennett each recorded four kills with a hitting percentage of .500. Canete also helped out as she recorded ten digs in the final set.
UT Arlington will take to the road next as they take on UALR and Arkansas State on Friday, Oct. 3 and Sunday Oct. 17. The matches are set to begin at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.
