MATCHUPS
Teams: Alcorn State (Miss.)
Incarnate Word (Texas)
Oral Roberts (Okla.)
Central Arkansas
Match Times: ULM vs Alcorn State Sept. 2, 10:00 a.m.
ULM vs Incarnate Word Sept. 2, 3:00 p.m.
ULM vs Oral Roberts Sept. 3, 2:30 p.m.
ULM vs Central Arkansas Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Conway, Ark. (Prince Center)
Monroe, La. – The ULM volleyball team will hit the road again for the UCA Volleyball Crain Automotive Invitational to face Alcorn State, Incarnate Word, Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas on Sept. 2-3.
NOTABLES
-ULM enters the tournament still winless this season, coming off of a tough loss to Northwestern State on Wednesday night. The Warhawks will play in their second invitational of the season for the second weekend in a row. ULM will play two Southland conference schools, one school from the Summit League and one team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference this weekend.
-Alcorn State will open its season at the UCA Invitational against ULM. ULM is undefeated against ASU in 14 matches dating back to 1987. These teams have never played to five sets against each other. ULM and ASU have played three neutral site games, each ending in the Warhawks favor. The last time the two teams met was in Centre, Ala. on Sept. 5, 2015, and the match ended with a 3-0 win for the Warhawks.
-Incarnate Word opened their season last weekend at the Hurricane Classic and faced Tulsa (Okla.), South Dakota and Alabama with losses to each. UIW and ULM have not met each other on the hardwood until now.
-Oral Roberts will enter the UCA Invitational with a 1-3 record after opening its season last weekend at the Oklahoma Invitational with one win to University of Texas El Paso and two losses to University of Missouri–Kansas City and Oklahoma. ORU leads ULM in the all-time results between the two teams with a 7-2 overall record with games dating back to 1985. ORU also holds the lead in matches wan at neutral sites with a spotless 3-0 record. The last time the two teams met was Sept. 10, 2011, in Lake Charles, La. with a sweep of the Warhawks.
-The host team, Central Arkansas, enters the tournament with the best record of 2-1. The Sugar Bears opened their Season at the Memphis Invitational with two wins over University of Memphis (Tenn.) and Chicago State University (Ill.) and marked only one loss to Belmont University (Tenn.). UCA and ULM have met only four times and lead the way 4-0 overall record in the all-time results. The two teams have only played each other at Central Arkansas. The Sugar Bears and the Warhawks have never played more than three sets when they have faced each other. The last time the teams met was Sept. 5, 2014, with a 3-0 sweep of ULM.
FROM COACH HILTZ
Accept the Challenge: We have to find our confidence. We had an opportunity Wednesday night but lost composure. Emotional control comes from confidence. Trust in each other and belief in the team is vital to success. This weekend is about stepping up to challenges.
About the players: Our upperclassmen are playing very well right now. If the game was played with four people we would have won several times already. We need our sophomores and freshmen to step up and deliver. Look for several players to get opportunities this weekend to show what they're made of.
About the Opponents: Central Arkansas is traditionally very good. I expect them to be tough. Oral Roberts usually has several good foreign players so I expect a battle there as well. I honestly don't know much about Incarnate Word and Alcorn State we played well against last year.
About our focus: As usual, we will be focused on our side of the net. We need to be crisper, cleaner and more consistent at a high level if we expect to compete for a tournament title this weekend.
UP NEXT
After the weekend, the Warhawks will travel to Stephen F. Austin (Texas) on Sept. 6.
