Tulane University
East Carolina
Volleyball Sweeps Past East Carolina
Oct 16, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 16, 2011
Box Score (PDF) | Season Statistics (PDF)
NEW ORLEANS - The final kill of the match may have been collected by Cori Martone, but Izabela Grot and Milica Jovic carried the Tulane volleyball team to a three set victory over East Carolina on Sunday (October 16) at Fogelman Arena. The duo of Grot and Jovic accounted for 27 kills and just three errors as the Green Wave hit .297 as team in the victory.
"Overall it was a good team effort," said Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic. "We kept things under control, especially the first two games, and we were more organized. We out hit them the first two games, but then they started fighting back in the third one and we were ready to fight them off. Although some mistakes kept creeping in, we finished with some good plays in the end and we got a win."
The Green Wave didn't trail in the opening set and built a four point, 11-4, lead on a Milica Jovic kill. The Pirates cut that lead to just one at 11-10, but Tulane reeled off ten straight points during a Nikki Osuna service rotation and grabbed control of the frame. Jovic and Anna Wruck each collected two kills during that stretch, also combining for a block, and the Green Wave traded points with East Carolina (2-16, 0-9 C-USA) the rest of the way to pull out a 25-19 victory to open things.
Tulane (7-12, 2-6 C-USA) started and ended the second set on identical 9-4 runs and the Olive and Blue never allowed ECU to find a rhythm. Their lead never shrunk under four points in the second frame and Tulane held a two sets to none lead after their 25-16 victory. In the set, the Green Wave hit .444, with 15 kills and just three attacking errors, while Grot and Martone each posted five kills in the frame.
After leading throughout the first two sets, Tulane found itself in a tightly contested third stanza. The final set included 15 ties and eight lead changes, with Tulane rallying from two points down, 18-16, to tie the set at 20-20 on a kill by Grot. A Britney Roper kill tied the score at 23-23, but back-to-back kills from Martone gave the Green Wave their second Conference USA victory of the season.
"Izabela and Milica were pretty consistent today and that is very important in a six-two system. Both of your right sides need to score points to be productive. That was a good thing today that both of them were productive at the same time."
Grot posted a .611 attacking percentage (12K-1E-18TA) and Jovic nearly equaled that mark, as she led all players with 15 kills and posted a .481 hitting percentage (15K-2E-27TA). Martone also added 12 kills. Grave Weaver and Osuna each tied for the match-high with eight digs, while Mel Mandelbaum had 26 assists to lead all players.
The next match for Tulane will come on Wednesday, October 19 against Southern Miss at Fogelman Arena. The Green Wave will entertain the Golden Eagles starting at 7:00 p.m.
Single game tickets for the remainder of the 2011 home slate are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting the Tulane Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE or visiting the Tulane Team Shop inside the James Wilson, Jr. Center between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
--www.TulaneGreenWave.com--
