Tulane University
South Alabama
Volleyball Wins Five Set Thriller Over South Alabama
Sep 17, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2011
Box Score (PDF) | Season Statistics (PDF)
NEW ORLEANS - It wasn't an easy weekend for the Tulane volleyball team and their final match at the Kathy Trosclair Memorial went the distance and claimed a five-set decision over South Alabama to claim second place in the event. The Green Wave won by scores of 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-13 to improve to 5-6 on the season.
"It's very tough (to come back after a loss)," said Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic. "I think that the loss on Friday is what put us in a hole. (Friday's loss) was disappointing and then with a young team like ours you have the issues of staying focused and staying aggressive. We struggled with the morning match; you can see they lost not only focus but just stopped believing they could do it. But they really did a good job fighting until the end in this third match and they really deserved to win."
The opening set was back-and-forth, with ten tied and three lead changes, the final lead change coming when Tulane claiming grabbed a 15-14 edge thanks to an attacking error by the Jaguars. Two more South Alabama missteps and kills from Anna Wruck and Milena Dragovic extended the Green Wave's lead and a solid final service rotation from Grace Weaver sealed the match. Weaver aced the final point of the set to give Tulane the early momentum.
The lead changed hands twice at the start of set two before South Alabama took the lead for good and cruised to a decisive second set win. Tulane kept it close early on and trailed by two points at 13-11. Maureen Ros, however, pushed the visitors out to a 17-11 margin with a good rotation of service with Olivia Mohler collecting two kills during that sequence. The Jaguars would close the set on an 8-5 run and even the match.
Like a pair of prize fighters exchanging blows, Tulane grabbed the third set, winning a close 25-23 frame thanks for six kills from Martone and four from Izabela Grot, and South Alabama claimed a 25-21 decision in the fourth stanza thanks to Ros and Samia Salomao's 12 combined kills.
The two team's exchanged points for most of the fifth set - that included four ties - before Tulane grabbed the lead for good on a block from Wruck and Olivia Utt that made it 5-4 in favor of the home squad. A Grot kill eventually pushed the Green Wave's lead to four points, at 9-5, but USA rallied back to tie the match at 12-12. Tulane would not relinquish their hold on the match as an attacking error by the Jaguars was sandwiched between a kill from Grot and Azarri Badawi to seal the five-set win for Tulane.
Martone led all players with 17 kills, adding five blocks, and Grot finished the night with 16 kills, including four in the final set. Mel Mandelbaum posted a double-double in the tournament finale, handing out 24 assists and accounting for 17 digs, and Nikki Osuna paced the squad with 28 digs. Wruck added nine kills and five blocks, while Grace Weaver chipped in five kills, 14 digs and a pair of blocking assists.
Kathy Trosclair Memorial All-Tournament Team
Hannah Miranda, Belmont (MVP)
Jen Myer, Belmont
Maggie Johnson, Belmont
Cori Martone, Tulane
Nikki Osuan, Tulane
Maureen Ros, South Alabama
Cynthia McCollum, Lamar
Belmont posted a 3-0 record on their way to the team championship of the Kathy Trosclair Memorial, while Tulane finished in a three-way tie for second with a 1-2 record. The Green Wave claimed runner-up honors by virtue of the set won tie breaker, claiming six total sets on the weekend. South Alabama was third (1-2 with five sets won) and Lamar rounded out the standings (1-2, three sets won).
Tulane will return to the court and open Conference USA play next weekend in Houston, Texas. The Green Wave will open up their conference schedule on Friday, September 23 at Rice and close the weekend at Houston on Sunday, September 25.
Season tickets are still available for the 2011 volleyball season through the Tulane Ticket office for just $55 for the remainder of home schedule. Single game tickets are also being sold 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--
