Tulane University
USF
Volleyball Drops 'Senior Day' Decision To USF, 3-2
Nov 23, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
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NEW ORLEANS - It was a day when the Tulane University volleyball team paid its respects to a pair of four-year standouts whose impact on the program will be felt long after the duo has hung up their knee pads, graduated and moved on to a professional career in their respective fields.
And while the Green Wave (5-25, 3-15 American) did seniors Grace Weaver and Anna Wruck proud with their overall effort and never-say-die attitude, the home team ultimately came up short in a 3-2 loss to American Athletic Conference foe USF (13-17, 7-11 American) on Sunday afternoon in a `Senior Day' showdown in Devlin Fieldhouse.
Playing the final home matches of their collegiate career, Weaver posted 11 digs and Wruck was one of three Tulane players to tally a double-double with 10 kills and 10 blocks (3 solo, 7 assists) while chipping in with five digs.
"They're both talented players," Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic said of the senior class. "Of their four years, they had one season that they were deserving of and that was last year when they showed what they could do. I think Anna is one of the best middles that we've had in our program [since I've been here]. She really played well last year and this year. Grace is a talented overall hitter who contributed to the program as an outside hitter and libero/defensive specialist. Those are two talented players that contributed a lot to us and they'll be missed. I wish them all the best."
The Green Wave got off to a great start and rolled to a 25-15 opening-set win and held an 8-0 lead in the second frame before the Bulls mounted their comeback. USF sandwiched 25-22 and 25-23 wins around a 26-24 Tulane win in set three to set up a final frame, and the Bulls came up with key points when it mattered most to pack a win along with their equipment back home to Tampa, Fla.
As a team, Tulane hit .256 with a season-best 65 kills while committing 23 errors in 164 swings. Sophomore Tea Juric led the offense with 21 kills, followed by freshman Sarah Ray with 19 and Wruck with 10. Juric and Ray complete double-doubles of their own with 17 and 10 digs, respectively, and sophomore libero Makenzie Frieden was the fourth Green Wave student-athlete to post double-digit dig totals with 13.
Sophomore setter Ally Frank had 54 of the team's 59 assists and two of the Green Wave's five service aces to go with six digs and a pair of block assists. Juric, sophomore middle blocker Sarah Strasner and sophomore right-side hitter Annie Shurtz, meanwhile, finished second to Wruck in blocks with five apiece.
"We had a good run in game one and had an 8-0 lead in game two, but didn't know how to keep the lead and keep them down when they were struggling," Momic said. "That's when USF started coming back. We struggled with unforced errors and were unable to be in control of the match when it mattered. We took it to five, but then unforced errors and miscommunication cost us. Again, we came up a couple of points short, but we did a lot of good things.
"Offensively, Tea had a good game. Grace played well. Anna played well. We just had negative runs again. In volleyball, if you give so many points away the opponent doesn't need to do much. That's what happened to us today at crucial times."
Erin Fairs led USF with 20 kills to go with 15 digs and a pair of service aces, and Wylie Devlin paced the Bulls with 16 digs. Setter Alex Mendoza fell one dig shy of a double-double with 49 assists and nine digs while Dakota Hampton was one kill shy of a twin bill with nine kills and 13 digs. Jennica Mullins, meanwhile, paced the visiting squad with five block assists.
The Green Wave return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 26, when they travel to Philadelphia, Pa., for a 6 p.m. showdown with Temple and will close out the 2014 season on Friday, Nov. 28, at UConn.
