Tulane University
at TCU*
Volleyball Drops Conference USA Opener At TCU, 3-1
Oct 1, 2004 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 1, 2004
FORT WORTH, Texas - Senior outside hitter Anastasia Kenon had 17 kills in her first action of the 2004 season, but it was not enough as the Tulane University volleyball team dropped the Conference USA opener to TCU, 3-1, Friday night at TCU University Recreation Center.
Playing in just their second match since Sept. 12 due to the cancellation of the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Classic and a schedule open weekend from Sept. 24-26, the Green Wave committed 52 errors on the evening, including seven service miscues and a season-high 14 reception errors. Tulane won game one, 30-27, but that would be the only good news for the team in Olive and Blue as TCU won the remaining three in order, 30-20, 33-31 and 30-18.
"We were never in system tonight," head coach Betsy Becker said. "We never were in any sort of rhythm and you got to give TCU credit for going in with that killer instinct. This is very disappointing, and hopefully we will be in sync tomorrow at Houston.
"We didn't pass well, so we didn't get a chance to establish anything offensively. Katie (Case) became a sprinter instead of a setter, and could never run the offense. We got off to a rough start, and could never recover. We just have to put this one behind us, stay positive and win a match tomorrow night."
Kenon posted a double-double with 12 digs to go along with her team-leading kill total, and senior middle blocker Deva Fowler posted 16 kills and five blocks. Junior libero Kelli Dickson led the squad with 20 digs, followed by senior outside hitter Lindsey Norman with 13 and Kenon's 12.
Tulane fell behind 2-1 to start game one, but that would be the only deficit the Green Wave would face in a back-and-forth battle. The visitors rolled out to a 9-3 lead, but the Horned Frogs would answer continue to work away at the lead, and eventually tied things up at 18-all. Following a Tulane timeout, the Green Wave went on a 12-9 run to end the stanza and win, 30-27.
It appeared early on as if game two would be a repeat performance as the two teams virtually traded points over the first 18 serves. But with the score knotted at 9-all, TCU went on a 7-0 run to take a commanding 16-9 advantage. Tulane would chip away at the Horned Frog advantage, eventually cutting the lead to four at 24-20, but that was as close as the Green Wave would get as TCU held on for a 30-20 win.
Game three was a contest of runs as the Green Wave ran out to a 10-6 lead, before TCU stormed back with a 12-4 rally to stake claim to an 18-14 advantage. Tulane would answer with a 13-6 run to claim a 27-24 lead, but it would not hold up as the Horned Frogs went on a 9-4 streak to end the game for a 33-31 victory.
From there, it was all TCU as the Horned Frogs ran out to a 14-5 lead and never looked back. The Green Wave did not give in, trimming the lead to four at 17-13, but TCU's early lead proved to be the difference in a 30-18 decision.
TCU's Dominika Szabo led all players with 21 kills and the Horned Frogs got double-digit kill performances from Ellen Rehme with 18 and Anna Vaughn with 14. Four TCU players posted 10-plus digs, including 21 ups from Loren Barry and 19 by Erin Ludeke.
The Green Wave returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 2 when they continue their C-USA opening weekend with a 7:30 p.m. showdown at the University of Houston. Following the matchup with the Cougars, Tulane comes back home where the squad will face Saint Louis on Friday, Oct. 8.
