Volleyball To Host SMU, Temple Over Weekend In Devlin Fieldhouse
Oct 30, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2014
"I think we've shown signs of improvement since the start of conference play," Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic said. "Obviously, we did not get as many wins as we wanted - especially on the road - but we saw some improvement just based on playing together longer. Some of the players have never played [at the college level] before and they got some experience just being on the court and learning how to play. They're working hard in practice every day and they're getting much better than they think.
"For us, it's a matter of believing in ourselves and understanding how good we can be. We need to just keep improving a little bit at each position and a little bit in every skill. It's important that they understand the real potential that they have. Improvement has definitely been made. We have to figure out how play with a belief in ourselves. Then, it will all become obvious. We have to turn that page, start winning and believe in ourselves that we can win."
As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 11.20 kills, 10.59 assists, 0.85 service aces, 14.41 digs and 2.20 blocks per set while hitting .159 on the strength of 885 kills and 462 errors in 2,667 attacks. Sophomore Tea Juric leads the Tulane offense with 3.12 kills per set while freshman Sarah Strasner is close behind at 3.06.
Sophomore Ally Frank and Lauren Etta have split time at setter throughout the 2014 season and sport respective averages of 8.53 and 7.21 assists per set, while senior defensive specialist Grace Weaver has a team-best 16 aces. Defensively, sophomore Miah Diirell paces the squad with 4.10 digs per set while sophomore Sarah Strasner headlines the unit with 1.05 blocks per stanza.
"We played some really good matches against the toughest teams in the conference and there were some matches where we were not pleased at all with how we played," Momic added. "We're trying to learn from those. We know we can play well against anybody. It's just a matter of being consistent, improving and being aware that if we play well we can win matches. That's the biggest thing now. We have to make that push to prove to ourselves first that we need to play at a certain level to start winning."
SMU heads to town 17-5 on the year, 6-4 in conference play and looking to build on the momentum of a 3-1 win over UConn on Sunday afternoon in Storrs, Conn. As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 13.48 kills, 12.71 assists, 1.39 service aces, 15.99 digs and 2.27 blocks per set while hitting .208 courtesy of 1,132 kills and 487 errors in 3,094 swings.
Caroline Young leads a balanced SMU offense with 2.99 kills per set, followed by Abbey Bybel at 2.87, Cailin Bula at 2.51 and Janelle Giordano at 2.20. Avery Acker paces the squad with 11.40 assists per set and Young leads the team with 31 aces. Morgan Heise leads the Mustangs with 4.80 digs per set and Giordano leads the front-line defense with 1.25 blocks per contest.
Tulsa, which will play at Houston on Friday night, enters the weekend 13-8 overall, 5-5 in American action and looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss at Temple last Sunday in Philadelphia. As a team, the Golden Hurricane are averaging 12.54 kills, 11.81 assists, 1.42 service aces, 16.68 digs and 1.97 blocks per set.
Erica Bohannon leads the Tulsa offense with 3.91 kills per set while Valerie El Houssine is next at 3.21. Bailey Clampitt paces the squad with 10.14 assists per set, El Houssine has a team-best 36 aces and Brooke Berryhill leads the Hurricane with 4.73 digs per set. Ashley Hooper, meanwhile, headlines the Tulsa defense with 0.85 blocks per frame.
Following this weekend's contests, Tulane will open a four-match road swing on Wednesday, Nov. 5, when they play at Houston. From there, the Green Wave will play at East Carolina on Nov. 9, at Cincinnati on Nov. 14 and at Memphis on Nov. 16.
Tulane's next home match is slated for Nov. 21 when the Green Wave take on UCF at 7 p.m. in Devlin Fieldhouse. For ticket information to this weekend's matches, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. The ticket office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr., Center and is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, call (504) 861-WAVE (9283) or log onto the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
PARKING NOTE: Due to the Tulane football game on Friday night, fans planning on attending the American Athletic Conference volleyball match between Tulane and SMU at 1 p.m. in Devlin Fieldhouse are asked to park in the Rosen Lot. The Rosen Lot is located on the corner of Claiborne Ave. and Ben Weiner Drive.
Coach Momic's Comments Entering The SMU, Tulsa Weekend
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University volleyball will open the second round of American Athletic Conference play over the weekend when the Green Wave play host to SMU on Friday and Tulsa on Sunday in Devlin Fieldhouse. Both matches are slated to begin at 1 p.m.
The Wave are 3-7 in league play at the midway point of the conference slate, but have shown steady and constant improvement as the season has progressed. Tulane will look to snap a three-game losing skid when it squares off against the Mustangs, but has confidence against the preseason conference favorites after taking SMU to five sets back on Oct. 12."For us, it's a matter of believing in ourselves and understanding how good we can be. We need to just keep improving a little bit at each position and a little bit in every skill. It's important that they understand the real potential that they have. Improvement has definitely been made. We have to figure out how play with a belief in ourselves. Then, it will all become obvious. We have to turn that page, start winning and believe in ourselves that we can win."
As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 11.20 kills, 10.59 assists, 0.85 service aces, 14.41 digs and 2.20 blocks per set while hitting .159 on the strength of 885 kills and 462 errors in 2,667 attacks. Sophomore Tea Juric leads the Tulane offense with 3.12 kills per set while freshman Sarah Strasner is close behind at 3.06.
Sophomore Ally Frank and Lauren Etta have split time at setter throughout the 2014 season and sport respective averages of 8.53 and 7.21 assists per set, while senior defensive specialist Grace Weaver has a team-best 16 aces. Defensively, sophomore Miah Diirell paces the squad with 4.10 digs per set while sophomore Sarah Strasner headlines the unit with 1.05 blocks per stanza.
"We played some really good matches against the toughest teams in the conference and there were some matches where we were not pleased at all with how we played," Momic added. "We're trying to learn from those. We know we can play well against anybody. It's just a matter of being consistent, improving and being aware that if we play well we can win matches. That's the biggest thing now. We have to make that push to prove to ourselves first that we need to play at a certain level to start winning."
SMU heads to town 17-5 on the year, 6-4 in conference play and looking to build on the momentum of a 3-1 win over UConn on Sunday afternoon in Storrs, Conn. As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 13.48 kills, 12.71 assists, 1.39 service aces, 15.99 digs and 2.27 blocks per set while hitting .208 courtesy of 1,132 kills and 487 errors in 3,094 swings.
Caroline Young leads a balanced SMU offense with 2.99 kills per set, followed by Abbey Bybel at 2.87, Cailin Bula at 2.51 and Janelle Giordano at 2.20. Avery Acker paces the squad with 11.40 assists per set and Young leads the team with 31 aces. Morgan Heise leads the Mustangs with 4.80 digs per set and Giordano leads the front-line defense with 1.25 blocks per contest.
Tulsa, which will play at Houston on Friday night, enters the weekend 13-8 overall, 5-5 in American action and looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss at Temple last Sunday in Philadelphia. As a team, the Golden Hurricane are averaging 12.54 kills, 11.81 assists, 1.42 service aces, 16.68 digs and 1.97 blocks per set.
Erica Bohannon leads the Tulsa offense with 3.91 kills per set while Valerie El Houssine is next at 3.21. Bailey Clampitt paces the squad with 10.14 assists per set, El Houssine has a team-best 36 aces and Brooke Berryhill leads the Hurricane with 4.73 digs per set. Ashley Hooper, meanwhile, headlines the Tulsa defense with 0.85 blocks per frame.
Following this weekend's contests, Tulane will open a four-match road swing on Wednesday, Nov. 5, when they play at Houston. From there, the Green Wave will play at East Carolina on Nov. 9, at Cincinnati on Nov. 14 and at Memphis on Nov. 16.
Tulane's next home match is slated for Nov. 21 when the Green Wave take on UCF at 7 p.m. in Devlin Fieldhouse. For ticket information to this weekend's matches, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. The ticket office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr., Center and is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, call (504) 861-WAVE (9283) or log onto the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
PARKING NOTE: Due to the Tulane football game on Friday night, fans planning on attending the American Athletic Conference volleyball match between Tulane and SMU at 1 p.m. in Devlin Fieldhouse are asked to park in the Rosen Lot. The Rosen Lot is located on the corner of Claiborne Ave. and Ben Weiner Drive.
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