Preview: ULM volleyball starts season at Alabama State Invitational - University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics (2024)

Luke Richard/ULM Athletics

Volleyball Aug 29 ULM Athletic Communications

Coach Cabrera starts his tenure in Montgomery.

MONROE, La. - The 2024 ULM volleyball campaign will commence on Aug. 30 when the Warhawks travel to Montgomery take on invitational host Alabama State at 11:30 a.m. before facing Nicholls later that day at 4 p.m.The Warhawks will wrap up the first weekend of competition with a match versusSouth Carolina State on Saturday, August 31 at 10 a.m. ULM is 2-0 vs. Alabama State and 11-29 against Nicholls State. It will be the first-ever matchup with South Carolina State.

FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS -
Links to live video and stats for all matches are available on ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the volleyball schedule page and select that day's opponent.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN -
Once again, the Warhawks will travel exclusively on the road for the non-conference portion of the schedule. Their first home game comes after four invitationals when Sun Belt Conference play begins on September 27.

A NEW MAN IN CHARGE -
Another repeat from last year is a new head coach for ULM. Daniel Cabrera will take charge of the program for the first time in 2024. Cabrera was an assistant coach for the Warhawks in 2023. Before joining ULM, he came from Olivet Nazarene University, and as head coach of the Women's volleyball team, led the Tigers to a 20-2 overall record, good enough to win the Chicagoland Conference championship and secure a bid to the national tournament. Before ONU, Cabrera was the head coach of Culver-State College.

UPPERCLASSMEN LEAD THE WAY -
Of the returning seniors, right-side hitter/defensive specialist Madeline Villarreal and defensive specialist/libero Cameron Rogers highlight the class.

Villarreal was third on the team in blocks in 2023 with 33 total. She also recorded 128 kills, which was sixth best for the Warhawks.

Rogers led the team by a wide margin in digs with 473 (3.91 per set). She also has the fourth most career service aces (69) in the 25-point rally-scoring era for ULM and the second most career digs (1142).

Also returning for the Warhawks are outside/right-side hitter Lydia Mesusan and outside hitter/defensive specialist Sandlin Short. Mesusan played in 18 matches in 2023, starting in nine, producing 51 kills (1.24 per set).

IMPACTFUL SOPhom*oRES -
After making a big impact as a freshman class, this group of sophom*ores looks to continue producing for ULM in 2024.

Outside hitter Emily Adams and middle blocker Kenzie Bell provide depth to the team. Adams played in nine matches in the 2023 season Behl played in seven matches, starting in two, producing 26 kills (1.13 per set)

Outside hitter Ariana Brown returns after a fantastic freshman season. She was second on the team in kills with 267 (2.32 per set) in 2023. She was also fourth in service aces with 21 and fourth in total blocks with 23.
Also returning for ULM are setter Morgan Howard and middle blocker Hannah Redrow. Howard was second for the Warhawks in assists with 496 (4.03 per set) as a freshman. She was also fifth in digs with 211 (1.72 per set) and fifth in service aces with 20. Redrow was second on the team in total blocks with 50 and fourth in kills with 149 (1.34 per set).

NEWCOMERS AIM TO MAKE THEIR MARK -
For the second year in a row, ULM's roster will feature eight newcomers. Half of the incoming players are from the state of Texas with setter Kailey Friedrich (Cypress, Texas), outside hitter Sydney Garrison (Aubrey, Texas), libero/defensive specialist Camryn Kimes (College Station, Texas), and defensive specialist Brianna Raney (Spring, Texas). Three others come from the states including outside hitter Ryley Boyne (Destrehan, Louisiana), outside hitter Taly Cloyd (Las Vegas, Nevada), and outside hitter Kali Walker (Wildwood, Florida). Only one newcomer is international, which is outside hitter Amelia Piekut (Warsaw, Poland).

A LOOK AHEAD -
The Warhawks will continue invitational play when they travel to Arlington, Texas for the UTA Classic. The first match will take place on Thursday, September 5 with McNeese State at 2:30 p.m.