Tulane University
12-8, 4-4
University of Cincinnati*
12-7, 7-1
Volleyball Drops Five-Set Thriller to Cincinnati
Oct 15, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
Final Stats
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane volleyball squad forced a fifth set for the eighth time this year on Saturday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse but couldn't close the door on American Athletic Conference foe Cincinnati, as the Bearcats edged out a 16-14 victory in set five. With the loss, the Green Wave move to 12-8 on the year and even to 4-4 in the league.
QUOTE
"I'm proud of our effort and how we fought back. Cincinnati is a good team, and we had our chances to beat them. We can't hang our heads for our effort because we really gave ourselves a shot. The freshmen gave us a lift today, and Alexis Silver did a nice job coming in and competing on the left. To win these kinds of matches, we have to play a team game and people have to step up."
--Tulane head coach Jim Barnes
HOW IT WAS WON
Tulane competed in all five sets of today's match, hanging close with the Bearcats in nearly every aspect of the game. The Green Wave gave up the first point of the day and would trail Cincinnati for the entirety of the first set, dropping their first outing 25-20. Tulane bounced back in set two, playing head-to-head with the Bearcats and emerging victorious with an exciting 27-25 win to even the match at one.
The Green Wave once again found themselves down in set three but could not complete the comeback despite notching five consecutive points near the end. Set four saw a dominating Tulane outing, as the Green Wave held a steady lead over the Bearcats and outhit their opposition .368 to .200 to force a fifth set on a 25-22 victory. Both teams played head-to-head in the final outing of the day, with Cincinnati holding a slim 8-6 lead when it was time to switch sides. Set five also featured extra points, but the final decision landed in Cincinnati's favor on a 16-14 final.
On the day, senior right-side hitter Tea Juric led the Green Wave with a season-high 18 kills and hitting .372, her highest number since hitting .412 at Clemson on Sept. 9. Freshman libero Kaylie McHugh tied a career-high 27 digs in the match, while junior setter Justine Bowers notched 56 assists. Â
UP NEXT
The Green Wave head to Houston on Wednesday for a midweek contest at the University of Houston. The Cougars are currently 5-14 on the season and 0-8 in conference after dropping consecutive three-set sweeps to Cincinnati and East Carolina this weekend.
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