Arkansas State Volleyball began conference play with two blowout wins over the University of Louisiana-Monroe. A-State won all sets in both games, finishing 3 sets, 25-13.

During the first game, A-State’s defense was iron-clad. ULM attacked 108 times but was often met by defensive specialist Mia Maloney and outside hitter Katlin Whitlock with the dig. Another wall ULM could not tear down was A-State’s middle blockers, Haley Glunz and Calea Bush, who both held a game-high six blocks. With such strong defensive play, A-State had no issue slamming their own kills into the floor to take all three sets.

To further highlight A-State’s defense, they matched their season-high 13 blocks. This left ULM with a hitting percentage of 0.037% and 26 kills, both new seasonal lows for the Warhawks. A-State won their first conference match by a landslide, building expectations for the game ahead.

In the second match, ULM’s offense once again attempted to break through A-State’s stellar defensive performance. In the latter half of the first set, they started to see some success, closing a 13-6 lead to a much closer 25-23. In the second set, they kept that momentum and started strong, answering A-State’s early 5-1 lead with their own 6-0 scoring run. This was the first time ULM led the score all night, but the moment was short-lived.

A-State’s defense once again began to shut down the Warhawks in the second half of the set. A-State’s offense ran with this pressure and took back the lead and ended the second set 25-21.

During the final set, the oppressive defensive pressure from the night before returned. A-State put up eight blocks during this set and finished with a 12-point lead after a 7-0 scoring run. With one final kill, the Red Wolves won their second conference match 3-0.

A-State once again matched their season-high 13 blocks and reached 64 digs. ULM folded under this pressure, leading to many preventable errors.

These first two matches didn’t just showcase A-State’s defensive ability as a whole, but also individual performances.

Kaitlin Whitlock’s defensive performance played a big role in A-State’s success. Whitlock not only had a total of 16 digs in both games but also hit 20 kills in the second match, matching her season highs in both categories. 

Setting up this success was setter Erin Madigan, who held the game-high 25 and 17 assists in both games respectively. With her performances against ULM, she made history and became the seventh A-State player to reach 3,000 assists in her career.

Madigan is often the setter behind many of A-State’s high-kill games, and as they enter conference play, the team will rely on her skills further. 

Opening conference play with a 2-0 sweep has extra meaning for the Red Wolves, who are entering the conference as the reigning champions. Even with the solid start, however, the Red Wolves currently sit second in the West Division behind Southern Miss. 

As the Warhawks fly home in defeat, the Red Wolves turn their attention to the University of Louisiana. Their conference dominance will be tested again Oct. 1 and 2 against the Ragin’ Cajuns with A-State’s first conference road games. 

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