Tulane University
Jackson State
Volleyball Opens Cardinal Classic With Sweep Of Jackson State
Sep 18, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Tulane/Jackson State Box Score In PDF Format 
BEAUMONT, Texas - Junior outside hitter Tea Juric and junior middle blocker Sarah Strasner shared match-high kill honors with 14 apiece and freshman libero Lisa Mordell led all players with 14 digs as the Tulane University volleyball team opened the Cardinal Classic with a 3-0 sweep of Jackson State on Friday afternoon in Lamar's McDonald Gym.
The Green Wave (4-5) took the first two sets with relative ease at 25-18 and 25-11 before seeing the Tigers (0-13) roar out to a 4-0 lead in what proved to be the final frame. The match was tied at 16-all late in the set and Tulane clung to a 21-20 lead before getting kills on four of the next five points to close things out.
"We knew we were playing a tall and physical team that we needed to out skill, and we were able to do that -- especially in the first two sets," Tulane head coach Sinisa Momic. "We were passing better, serving better and putting a lot of pressure on them. They were out of system a lot and we wanted to make sure our transition offense working well. The important thing is when they started playing better, as we expected in the third set, we were able to fend them off and finish the match."
While Juric and Strasner were the only two Tulane players to post 10-plus kills, sophomore outside hitter Sarah Ray and freshman right-side hitter Aubrey Folk had seven each while Juric and junior defensive specialist Miah Diirell added eight digs apiece on defense.
As a team, the Green Wave hit .333 with 46 kills and just 12 errors in 102 total attacks. Strasner led the team with a .583 clip with no errors in 24 swings and Juric posted a .357 attack percentage with four miscues in 28 tries. Strasner added a match-best four blocks (all assists) and freshman setter Elizabeth Hurring had 36 of the team's 41 assists.
"Liz [Hurring] and Sarah [Strasner] are connecting really well offensively," Momic added. "Tea had a good, focused match overall. She was steady offensively, which is not always easy because she's targeted as a passer and there's always a double block waiting on her. She really did a good job. Sarah was good on offense and defense, and Liz' set selection is getting better every game."
Tulane and Jackson State traded the first 22 points of the game before the Green Wave used a 5-0 run to turn an 11-all tie into a 16-11 lead. The Wave extended their lead to as many as eight on four occasions and held set point at 24-16. The Tigers twice staved off the loss before Juric put things away with a kill.
Despite giving up the first point of the second set, the stanza was all Tulane as the Green Wave rolled out to a 12-4 lead and never looked back. The advantage swelled to double figures at 18-8 and Tulane held an 11-point lead at 21-10 late. A Green Wave attack error made it a 10-point contest on the ensuing play but Tulane scored the final four points of the frame to take a commanding two-sets-to-none lead.
The Tigers, however, shook off the two set losses and came out on fire in the third frame as three Tulane errors gave Jackson State a 4-0 lead and caused the Green Wave to call an early timeout to regroup. The break in the action was beneficial to the squad in olive green and sky blue as Tulane responded with a 10-4 run to take a six-point lead.
JSU was far from done, though, as the Tigers scored seven of the next 10 points to tie the set at 13-all. A back-and-forth struggled ensued as the two teams traded the next six points to make it 16-16 before Tulane appeared to take control with a 3-0 run to take a 19-16 lead it would not relinquish and set up the last-set dramatics.
Tulane concludes play in the Cardinal Classic on Saturday when the Green Wave take on UT Rio Grande Valley and host Lamar at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. Those two matches will be the final contests for the Green Wave prior to starting the American Athletic Conference portion of the schedule on Friday, Sept. 25, against Tulsa at 7 p.m. inside Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.
From there, the Green Wave continue a three-match homestand against league rival SMU on Sept. 27 and cross-town foe UNO on Sept. 29. Single-match tickets are available through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at prices of $6 for adults and $4 for youths (ages 3-12). Tickets can be purchase by clicking HERE or by calling the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE (9283).
