Tulane University
Rice
Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision To Conference USA Foe Rice
Nov 6, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 6, 2009
NEW ORLEANS - The Green Wave scored the first point of each set, but as the old saying goes - it's not how you start; it's how you finish.
The adage haunted the home team for the majority of the ballgame as the Tulane University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Rice Friday evening at Fogelman Arena. The Owls (17-8, 9-5 C-USA) barely edged the Green Wave (15-8, 10-4) in the first two sets, 26-24 and 25-23, before Rice pulled away in the final stanza for a match-clinching 25-19 decision.
The loss was the first straight-sets defeat in league play for Tulane since falling at Houston, 3-0, on Oct. 12, 2007. Friday's loss, coupled with last Sunday's 3-1 loss at Tulsa, marked the first time the Green Wave dropped back-to-back conference matches since falling to UAB and Memphis in 2006 on Oct. 27 and 29, respectively. The loss also snapped a nine-match winning streak against Rice dating back to the 2005 season.
"Rice was steady, they were fighting the whole match through, and didn't have ups and downs," first-year Tulane head volleyball coach Sinisa Momic said. "Starting in game one, we opened with 10 hitting errors in one set. You can't beat anyone like that. They saw that they could beat us and stayed in it. At the same time, we didn't have any leadership or discipline in our game to beat a team like Rice, who played well today.
"All those things combined give you a 3-0 loss. Not being determined and a lack of effort factored into it. We have to rebound from this. The season is not over yet. We have to get ready for Houston and finish the season as the highest seed possible going into the tournament."
Sophomore outside hitter Visnja Djurdjevic posted match highs with 14 kills and 14 digs, and chipped in with a solo block to finish the night with 15.0 points. Senior outside Ksenija Vlaskovic was next on the team with 11 kills while senior libero Jenn Miller finished second to Djurdjevic with 12 digs. Senior setter Rachel Lindelow led the Green Wave with 30 assists and junior middle blocker Lindsey Shepard paced the front-line defensive effort with one solo block and one block assist.
Rice, meanwhile, led statistically in every category. The Owls had more kills (43-38), more assists (42-35), more aces (4-3), more digs (48-44) and more blocks (7.0-3.0). Rice posted a .274 attack percentage on the night with 14 errors in 106 swings, and the Owl defense held Tulane to a .111 mark as the Green Wave committed 25 miscues in 117 attempts.
"It was a lack of discipline, not following the game plan or following it on and off," Momic said. "We had an overall lack of effort, thinking that we could just beat teams because they're going to give it to you. We lacked energy and leadership. This was our worst performance of the year."
A Djurdjevic kills accounted for the match's first point before Rice scored the next three and rarely trailed the rest of the night. The two teams battled back and forth for most of the opening stanza in a set that featured 10 ties and three lead changes. Rice led by as many as four at 14-10, and Tulane actually led late, 20-18. Following an Owl timeout, the two-point lead held at 21-19 before Rice outscored the Wave 6-4 the rest of the way to earn a hard-fought two-point win.
It was a similar story in the second set as Tulane scored the stanza's first three points before Rice answered with a 5-0 rally to take a lead the Owls would lose only once. The Green Wave took an 11-10 lead 13 serves later and the two teams traded the next nine points. A Tulane service error broke a 15-all tie to spark a 3-0 Rice rally and the Owls held set point at 24-21. Tulane cut the deficit to one, but Jennifer McClean powered one home at the end to give Rice another two-point victory.
Just as they had done a set earlier, the Green Wave opened what proved to be the final frame with a 3-0 rally only to see the Owls storm right back. Tulane led 12-10 midway through the set, but Rice used a 6-1 rally to the Owls a16-13 lead they would not relinquish. The Owls' advantaged swelled to as many as eight at 23-15 and Rice went on to win by six.
Rice's McCLean and Ashleigh McCord tied for team-high kill honors with 11 each, and Tracey Lam led the Owls' defensive effort with 11 digs. Meredith Schamun, the reigning C-USA Setter of the Week, led all players with 34 assists, while Nancy Cole and Jessie Boulavsky shared match-high blocking honors with four assists apiece.
The Green Wave return to action on Sunday, Nov. 8, when they play host to Houston at 1 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. The match will be televised live on the CBS College Sports Network. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE.
