RUSTON – After spending the first seven matches of the season away from home, Louisiana Tech is back in the Thomas Assembly Center this week to host the Bulldog Bash.  The 3-day event will feature four teams – LA Tech, ULM, Houston Christian, and Jackson State – with five total matches played.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Match One
LA Tech vs. Jackson State | Thursday, Sept. 11 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Match Two
LA Tech vs. ULM | Friday, Sept. 12 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Match Three
LA Tech vs. Houston Christian | Saturday, Sept. 13 | 11:00 a.m. CT
 
Location: Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court (Ruston, La.)
Tournament Central: LATechSports.com/BulldogBash
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (all three matches)
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (3-4)
LA Tech went 1-2 this past weekend down in New Orleans at the Green Wave Classic, shutting out Southern 3-0 before falling to host Tulane 3-0 and Lamar 3-1. Carla Esquer (22 kills), Zari Gillispie (19 kills), and Jailen Hurley (18 kills) led the offensive attack for the Bulldogs at the event. The freshman Gillispie had a team-best .368 hitting percentage with 19 kills on 38 total attacks.
 
Freshman Sydnee Carter had a team-best 45 assists at the Green Wave Classic, 20 of which came in the matchup against Lamar (her second match of 20+ assists). She also had a season-high 14 digs to record her first career double-double.   
 
Libero/defensive specialist Riley Steubing has been a steady presence on defense, tallying double-digit digs in four of the last five matches. The junior registered a career-high 28 digs against ULM and has a team-best 105 digs this season.
 
THE OPPONENTS
ULM heads to Ruston with a 5-2 mark on the season.  The Warhawks are on a three-match winning streak with victories over Alcorn State, McNeese, and Northwestern State. 
 
Offensively, ULM has a .172 hitting percentage and is anchored by outside hitter Aniya Hall who has a team-best 93 kills (average of 3.72 per set).  Their primary setter is Mogan Howard who has 140 assists on the season as well as a team-high 21 service aces.
 
LA Tech owns a 28-10 advantage over ULM. This will be the second time the Bulldogs and Warhawks face off this season. The two met in Hammond at the Southeastern Showdown with ULM coming back from 0-2 down to win in five sets. LA Tech is 13-3 all-time against ULM at home with last meeting in the TAC being a 3-2 victory in 2022.
 
After opening the season with five straight losses, Houston Christian has won back-to-back matches against Bethune-Cookman and Texas Southern (both 3-0 victories). 
 
The Huskies are hitting .163 as a team with most of their kills coming from Allana Archie (59) and Katy Barger (45).  Peyton Fadal and Madison Hess handle the setter position, combining for 181 assists. 
 
LA Tech trails in the all-time series with HCU, 2-5. The Huskies have won four last straight, including a pair of matchups during the 2021 season. This will only be the second time LA Tech hosts HCU with the first meeting in the TAC being a 3-1 victory in 2008 (was the first ever meeting between the two programs).
 
Jackson State is still in search for its first win of the season, having dropped all five matches.  Two of the five have gone the distance with five-set losses to LA Tech and Southeastern. 
 
Offensively, the Tigers have a .140 hitting percentage with outside hitters Jayden James and Hope Briggs tallying 53 and 51 kills, respectively.  Defensively, JSU has three players with double-digit blocks this season.
 
LA Tech leads the all-time series against Jackson State, 15-1. The Bulldogs have won 11 straight over the Tigers, including a five-set victory in the season opener.  LA Tech is a perfect 4-0 against JSU at home with the last such meeting taking place in 2018.
 
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