Tulane University
18-7, 6-4American
ECU
12-9, 4-6American
Volleyball Earns Sixth Consecutive AAC Win, Defeats ECU to Own 10-2 Home Record
Oct 26, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANSย โย Tulane volleyball earned the team's sixth consecutive American Athletic Conference win on Friday night, defeating ECU in four sets (25-16, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22) to own a 10-2 record at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
"We didn't have everything clicking tonight but we showed a lot of toughness and gave great effort to get the win," head coach Jim Barnes said. "Erika [Hansel] had another big night and Kayla [Dinkins] gave us a big life in the middle."
Junior right side hitter Erika Hansel continued with her consistent offensive dominance, recording 15 kills and three blocks in the match while hitting .560. Senior middle hitter Dayna Kern also earned double-digit kills, recording 11 total along with five blocks, while hitting .240.
Freshman middle hitter Kayla Dinkins was a strong force on all ends of the court, hitting nine kills and adding four blocks with a .333 hitting percentage.
Junior libero Kaylie McHugh, freshman outside hitter Makala Heidelberg and senior libero Lisa Mordell all evened the board with 12 digs, with Mordell earning No. 1,000 in her career at the start of the first set.
The Green Wave came out strong in set one, posting a team hitting percentage of .286 while holding the Pirates to .037. Two consecutive service aces from McHugh, with the junior totaling three in the first set and six in the match, gave Tulane a quick 3-1 lead at the start. Four kills from freshman outside hitter Yvette Burcescu and three from senior middle hitter Dayna Kern kept the home team on top, with a kill from Heidelberg at set point putting Tulane ahead with a 1-0 lead in the match.
A close set all the way until the end, with 12 tied scores and six lead changes, ultimately resulted in a 24-22 ECU win to even the match at 1-1. Hansel's five kills while hitting .833 were not enough to get the Green Wave offensive momentum going, with the team hitting .164 compared to the Pirates' .364.
Kills from Dinkins and sophomore outside hitter Lexie Douglas, along with anย ace from McHugh, got the Green Wave started with an 8-1 lead at the start of set three. ECU revolted quickly with a 6-0 run, eventually tying the score up at 18. Kills from Douglas and Kern kept Tulane ahead, with Burcescu closing it out with a kill to put the Olive and Blue back in the lead at 2-1.
A tight set until the finish in the fourth, but Tulane was able to grab the win with a 25-22 score and avoid a fifth set. Hansel led the Green Wave with an impressive six kills and .600 hitting percentage, while Dinkins recorded four while hitting .429. An initial lead of 9-3 put the home team on top before ECU came back quick to even the score at 13. The scores were tied at almost every point for the remainder of the match until a block from Douglas and Kern at match point solidified the win for the Wave.
Tulane is set to face Cincinnati at home this Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish out its weekend matchups at home.
"Sunday versus Cincinnati is a great opportunity for us," Barnes added. "It's a match that could propel us into the NCAA's. Come out, Tulane fans, and help us take on Cincinnati."
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