ARLINGTON, Texas--  Senior McKenzie Moore paced McNeese volleyball in its straight set (25-19, 25-20, 25-13) win over UL-Monroe Thursday in the opening match of the UT-Arlington Classic.  The win evened the Cowgirls' record to 2-2 on the season.  The loss dropped ULM to 1-3 on the year.
 
McNeese will play tournament host UT-Arlington at 6 p.m. Friday in a match that will be streamed on ESPN+.  The Cowgirls will conclude tournament play with a 12 p.m. match Saturday against Santa Clara.  

HEAD COACH SASHA KARELOV QUOTES
"Kenzie (McKenzie Moore) was an absolute rockstar in all facets of the match today. She carried us to the sweep and was an outstanding source of energy for our team. Our blocking was very disciplined which provided a great foundation for our defense to work off of. Kendall (Osgood) was consistent and aggressive in her serving and first touch. I'm looking forward to building off this win as we work through the rest of the weekend."
 
POST MATCH NOTES
• It's the first straight set win of the season for McNeese
• With the win, McNeese holds a 17-4 all-time record against the Warhawks and have won six of the last eight matches
• McKenzie Moore recorded a double double for the second straight match, leading all players with 17 kills along with 11 digs
• Moore also led all players with seven blocks
• McNeese out dug ULM 53-37 and out blocked the Warhawks 18-9
• Three Cowgirls recorded double figure digs with Bailey Tillman leading the way with 12.  Moore had 11, and Kendall Osgood was credited with 10
• Megan Grose dished out a match high 28 assists
 
 
Set 1
• McNeese opened the set by going on a 4-0 run to lead 7-2
• A 7-0 run by the Cowgirls off the serve of Megan Grose put McNeese up 15-4
• ULM pulled to within four points (18-14), but McNeese scored the next four points to lead 22-14
• ULM responded with a four-point run but still trailed 22-18
• It was all McKenzie Moore at the end of the match as she scored the Cowgirls' final three points off kills to give McNeese the 1-0 lead
 
Set 2
• McNeese also took the early lead in this set, 8-3 before the Warhawks tied the set at 11
• Kills by Lacie Schooley and Megan Grose along with a Schooley ace gave McNeese a 16-12 lead
• An ace and three kills by Moore upped the Cowgirls score to 24-15
• ULM staved off five set points to pull to within 24-20 before a kill by McKenzie Moore gave the Cowgirls the second set win
 
Set 3
• The set stayed within two points before a 4-1 McNeese run put the Cowgirls up 12-7
• Two ULM attack errors extended the McNeese lead to 17-10
• Back-to-Back kills by Naterah Moore and another ULM kill pushed the Cowgirl lead to 20-12
• Another Naterah Moore kill ignited a 5-0 Cowgirl run to finish off the set and the match  
 
UP NEXT
Friday, Sept. 6 vs. UT-Arlington (6 p.m./ESPN+)
Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Santa Clara (12 p.m./WAC International)