Next Up: UAB and Memphis Head to Fogelman
Sep 29, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2011
Season Statistics | Conference USA Weekly Release
9/30/11 & 10/2/11
Tulane Green Wave versus UAB Blazers/Memphis Tigers
Start Times: 7:00 (UAB) & 1:00 (Memphis)
Arena: Fogelman Arena (New Orleans)
Series Information: Memphis Leads Tulane, 20-17/Tulane Leads UAB, 16-12
GameTracker & Live Video Available for Both Matches
Looking at the Green Wave
Tulane dropped their opening matches of the Conference USA slate last weekend in Houston, falling in four sets at Houston and Rice. The Green Wave fell to Rice on Friday evening, 22-25, 19-25, 26-24, 22-25, and dropped their match at Houston on Sunday, 25-20, 16-25, 24-26, 14-25. Azarri Badawi led the offense with 25 kills, while Nikki Osuna was the defensive standout with 47 digs in eight sets.
Badawi had a solid weekend in the Lone Star State, accounting for a team-best 25 kills and 19 digs, which was third on the squad. Badawi set new match-highs for kills and digs in the match at Houston with 14 successful attacks and 12 digs. Osuna posted the match-high digs total against the Cougars and the Owls over the weekend, posting 30 at Rice and following that with 17 at Houston.
A handful of Green Wave players rank among the league's statistical leaders entering the weekend; with Osuna, Cori Martone, Grace Weaver and Anna Wruck all appear on the lists. Osuna ranks the highest among the Tulane constituents at sixth on the digs per-set list. The senior averages 4.62 digs per-set and has tallied 222 digs in 48 sets in 2011. Weaver appears on the service aces per-set tally (0.26), ranking 16th, and Wruck is among the top-10 blockers in the league with 0.98 blocks per-set.
Martone appears on the league top-20 list in five of the seven categories listed, ranking 11th in both attacking percentage (.319) and points per-set (3.51). Her per-set averages in blocks (0.90), kills (2.78) and service aces (0.24), which rank 14th, 16th and 18th, respectively.
Scouting the Memphis
The Tigers enter the weekend at 13-3 overall and are 2-1 in Conference USA after playing all three of those matches last week. Memphis defeated East Carolina and Marshall over the weekend, but dropped a three-set decision o UAB on Tuesday. The Memphis attack is led by setter Hajnalka Molnar, who entered the week as the nation's leader in assists per-set, has handed out 674 assists and compiled 21 service aces to lead the team in both categories. Molnar has been setting to one of the conference's top attackers, Altrese Hawkins, who ranks third in C-USA in kills per-set (4.11) is also one of the most consistent attackers in the league, ranking eighth with a .330 attacking percentage.
Memphis has one of the toughest serves in nation and have five players with ten-plus service aces in 2011. As a team, Memphis leads C-USA and ranks seventh nationally in service aces per-set (1.89). Molnar (21) leads the way, while Marija Jovanovic and Vasna Jelic each have 19 and Maja Kostic enters the weekend with 18. Their 104 service aces may be the most in the conference this season, but their 154 service aces are also the most among the 12 C-USA schools.
Scouting the UAB
The Blazers are setting tied atop the Conference USA standings with a perfect 3-0 record and are 13-2 overall this season. UAB topped Memphis in the midweek and grabbed wins over Marshall and East Carolina on the weekend. UAB enters the weekend on a nine match winnings streak, with their only two losses coming in five sets to Illinois State and Stephen F. Austin at the Skyhawk Invitational. As a team, UAB is hitting .239 and five players have topped the 100-kill mark on the year.
The Blazers have to two most efficient attackers in the conference, with Sam Serley and Kristen Gallagher pacing C-USA in hitting percentage. Serley leads the way with a .415 attacking percentage, while Gallagher enters the weekend hitting at a .386 clip. Serley leads the team in kills with 141, followed closely by Ally Slaughter (138), and the setting duo of Alison Woods and Becca Howard have each accumulated 200-plus assists. Woods (299 assists) and Howard (271) lead the offense, while Heather Thomas anchors the defense with 288 digs in 55 sets.
--TulaneGreenWave.com--
