Defense Wins Championships
Aug 22, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 22, 2011
NEW ORLEANS - Most of the conversations you will have with a volleyball coach revolve around how their defense and passing will always affect the offense. The 2011 Tulane volleyball squad will have a young group of defensive specialists, but that piece of the squad will look to lead the Green Wave offense to new heights.
The defensive specialist position has changed since the adoption of the libero - a defensive minded replacement that doesn't count against your substitutions - in 2002. Tulane lists three players as liberos on their roster and one other is designated as a defensive specialist, but each player knows that they must be on the top of their game when they are on the backline.
While they may daydream about going up and getting the big kill or blocking on an opponent at the net, these four players are dedicated to making the team better with perfect passes and getting every ball to the setter, so that the attackers can do their job. The quartet of senior Nikki Osuna, true freshman Chloe Tom and redshirt freshmen Amber Bennett and Madison Nieberlein will cover the floor from the net to the backline and from sideline to sideline to ensure that the offense can find its grove early this season.
Osuna started her fair share of matches in 2010 and is the lone returning libero with match experience - as well as being the team's lone senior. Osuna joined the Green Wave last season - transferring from Orange County (Calif.) College - and held the second highest digs per-set average on the team (2.63). She amassed 237 digs in 30 total matches played, while being one of the toughest servers on the squad (11 service aces). She snuck one kill onto her stat line in '10 and dished out seven assists.
Amber Bennett spent last season with the team, but redshirted her first season with the Green Wave. The West Columbia, S.C. native was a member of the Tulane 3.0 Club, as well as being named to the Conference USA Commissioners Honor Roll.
The newcomers are not really all that new in 2011, with Chloe Tom graduating high school early and coming to campus in the spring and Madison Nieberlein attending classes last year at Tulane. Tom is a quality indoor player that will also contribute on the programs newly formed sand volleyball team. As a redshirt freshman, Nieberlein will add depth to the Tulane roster after lettering three times while at Ursuline Academy.
Tulane will rely on every player to keep their defense as tight and concise as possible, but the four players who have defense attached to the title of their position will carry a majority of that responsibility. The Green Wave will have to replace Amaris Genemaras, who graduated and led the team in digs per-set last season (2.86), but an able group looks to make 2011 an even better season on the court, defensively speaking.
The next breakdown will come on Thursday, August 25 when we preview the opening weekend, but keep checking the fall camp page to get a new "Getting to Know" feature on one of our players each day. To follow all of the releases leading up to the season opener visit the fall camp page by clicking here. Also, follow the Tulane volleyball on twitter @GreenWaveVB for updates and features throughout the season.
The Olive and Blue will open their season on Friday (August 26) morning versus North Dakota State at the Tiger Invitational in Columbia, Mo. The first home action for the Green Wave will be Sept. 2 when they host the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic at Fogelman Arena. Tulane Volleyball season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.tulanegreenwave.com or by calling the Tulane Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
---www.TulaneGreenWave.com--
