South Alabama’s women’s volleyball team is set to face ULM in a two-match series in Monroe, Louisiana, at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The first match will take place on Friday, Oct. 3, with the second scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4. Both matches will be available to watch on ESPN+ and live stats can be accessed via USAJaguars.com.
This meeting marks the 30th and 31st times the two teams have played each other. South Alabama currently leads the all-time series against ULM, holding a record of 22-7. The Jaguars have an undefeated home record versus ULM and have won their last 11 matches against the Warhawks.
South Alabama enters this Sun Belt Conference (SBC) series with a season record of 7-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play after sweeping Troy last weekend in Mobile. In those matches, South Alabama posted its top two offensive performances of the season.
Sarah Gooch stood out in the series finale against Troy by recording 23 kills and achieving a .513 hitting percentage. “Gooch’s best performance in the match came with the Jags trailing in the second set as she recorded seven of South’s last eight points and ended the set with a career-best 11 kills in the frame,” according to team notes. Gooch leads South Alabama and ranks tenth in the league with an average of 3.29 kills per set.
Freshman Cambria Gaier has also contributed significantly, averaging just under three kills per set and leading South Alabama with 23 aces this season.
On defense, redshirt freshman Alexa Strandberg has accumulated 54 total blocks so far this fall and ranks sixth in the conference for blocks per set. Senior libero Briana Wilson is averaging 4.27 digs per set, which places her fourth in the league.
ULM enters this week’s series after being swept by Southern Miss last weekend. Aniya Hall leads ULM offensively with an average of 4.03 kills per set, ranking among the top five players in both kills and points within the conference.
South Alabama holds a perfect record at home against ULM but has experienced both wins and losses when playing away games in Monroe since their first meeting more than two decades ago.
Under head coach Jesse Ortiz, South Alabama has achieved a strong record in SBC road openers, standing at 3-1 since he took over coaching duties.
For more information or updates on South Alabama volleyball, fans are encouraged to follow @SouthAlabamaVB on social media or visit USAJaguars.com for official coverage.
