Tulane University
(15-7, 3-4American)
Houston
(13-9, 0-7American)
Volleyball Defeats Houston to Earn 3-0 Win Streak, 9-2 Record at Home
Oct 14, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANSย โย Tulane volleyball earned its third consecutive conference win on Sunday, defeating Houston in four sets (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-13) to own a 9-2 record on its home court this season.
"Houston played very well and we did what we needed to do to get the win," head coach Jim Barnes said. "It was a great offensive night for Erika [Hansel] once again, and Makala [Heidelberg] came up big time. Kaylie [McHugh], Lisa [Mordell], Makala and Taylor [Henigsman] played very well defensively, helping us to 92 digs. It was a great sweep at home this weekend."
The Green Wave's 92 total digs in their win against the Cougars putย the team at fifth in the career record books in four-set matches.
Earning her career-high in kills with 20 on Friday against SMU, junior right side hitter Erika Hansel continued with her offensive dominance on Sunday to tally 19 kills while hitting .318.
Freshman outside hitter Makala Heidelberg earned her seventh double-double of the season, recording 22 digs and 14 kills with a hitting percentage of .294.
Junior libero Kaylie McHugh, senior libero Lisa Mordell and freshman setter Taylor Henigsman also tallied double-digit digs in the match, with 20, 16 and ten, respectively.
A service ace from McHugh and consecutive kills from sophomore outside hitter Lexie Douglas and senior middle hitter Dayna Kern put Tulane ahead of Houston early in the first set with a score of 4-3. Back-to-back service aces from sophomore setter Jenna Ibieta kept the Green Wave in the lead, staying on top until a kill from Kern finished it out to put the home team ahead, 1-0.
Houston grabbed a quick 5-1 lead at the start of set two, but a 9-4 run from Tulane that ended with a kill from Kern ultimately tied the score at ten. The Green Wave then gained a 19-15 lead, before Houston tied it up at 20 and went on a 5-1 run to lead by one at set point. A tough battle until the end, but a block from the Cougars put Houston on the board to tie the match at 1-1.
A 4-0 run from the Green Wave put the home team ahead 10-8 early in the third set. Houston ultimately tied it up at 20 but Tulane was able to maintain the lead, with consecutive kills from Hansel and Douglasย solidifying the win and putting Tulane ahead in the match with a score ofย 2-1 heading into a fourth set.
Tulane came out strong in set four, gaining a fast 7-2 lead with service aces from Heidelberg and McHugh and kills from Hansel and Douglas. The Green Wave tallied 15 kills and 19 digs in the final set, hitting .467 as a team while holding the Cougars to a .086 hitting percentage. A kill from Heidelberg at match point finished it for Tulane, with a final set score of 25-13.
The Green Wave will head back onย the road next weekend, matching up against UConn on Friday nightย at 6 p.m. and Temple on Sunday at 12 p.m.
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