Next Up: Road Trip Concludes at UCF and UTEP
Nov 4, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 4, 2010
Conference USA Weekly Update (PDF) | Season Statistics (PDF)
11/5/2010 - 11/7/2010
Tulane Green Wave at UCF Knights/at UTEP Miners
Start Times: 5:00 p.m. (Friday) and 1:00 p.m. (Sunday)
Arena: The Venue at UCF (UCF)/ Memorial Gym (UTEP)
Looking at the Green Wave
Tulane will hit the road to face UCF and UTEP this weekend to wrap up their four-match road trip. The Green Wave are still searching for their first true road victory of the season and own a 2-13 overall record away from home this season.
In their meetings earlier this season, Tulane took a three-set decision from UTEP, but dropped a five-setter to the Knights. The all-time series with the Miners sits at 9-2 in favor of Tulane, while UCF leads the series 8-7 with their win over Tulane on Oct. 17.
Last weekend, Izabela Grot and Cori Martone paced the offense at UAB and Memphis with each topping the 20 kill mark to help Tulane go 1-1. Grot led the team with 28 kills and eight blocks, while Martone posted 20 kills, two service aces and 17 blocks. Lindsey Shepard had 18 kills, while Milena Dragovic posted 12 kills in eight sets of action.
On the season, Grot leads the team with 279 total kills - good for 3.17 kills per set - and 312 total points. The Offense for the Olive and Blue runs through setter Mel Mandelbaum, who has 823 assists through 25 matches and has chipped in 227 digs and 18 service aces. Shepard currently paces the club with a .322 hitting percentage and 69 total blocks.
Scouting the Knights
The Knights dropped a pair of contests last weekend, falling at SMU and Tulsa, and are 12-12 overall this season with a 5-7 mark in Conference USA play. UCF has won five of their last eight matches, including a five-setter against Tulane, and are 5-3 at The Venue at UCF in 2010.
Junior outside hitter Kristin Fisher paces the Knights with 4.41 kills per set - 384 total kills - and 422 total points in 87 sets this season. She also ranks second on the squad with 210 digs and 15 service aces. Evija Vilde is the team leaders in service aces, with 24, and has tallied 201 kills to account for 240 points, which ranks second on the squad.
Libero Meredith Murphy paces the squad with 359 digs, setter Rachel Vukson has handed out 811 assists and middle blocker Nichole Riedel has 50 blocks.
Scouting the Miners
The Miners are winless in their last six matches entering the weekend and haven't won since October 9 when they swept a pair of matches versus Marshall. Their current losing streak started with a match against the Green Wave in Fogelman Arena and UTEP is now 12-13 overall and 4-8 in C-USA play.
Melissa Toth is the leading attacker for the Miners with 240 kills, or 3.43 kills per set, and also has 138 digs, 25 blocks and 21 service aces. The net play by UTEP has been a strong point this season, with the Miners holding a 213.5-150.5 edge in blocks, while limiting their opponents to a .218 hitting percentage. Jeane Horton and Patty Jarmoc each have 75 blocks this season, while Kyla Muela and Cassandra Burruel have both topped the 50-block plateau.
Stephanie Figueroa is one of the top defensive specialists in Conference USA, ranking seventh with 4.32 digs per set, while Jarmoc has also handed out 712 assists to go along with her blocking totals.
--TulaneGreenWave.com--
