Tulane University
19-7, 7-4American
Cincinnati
19-6, 9-2American
Volleyball Earns Seventh Consecutive AAC Win, Defeats Cincinnati for the First Time Since 1995
Oct 28, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane volleyball defeated Cincinnati on Sunday for the first time since 1995, earning a four-set victory (25-13, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21) at home to extend its winning streak to seven American Athletics Conference matches.
"I'm just elated for our players, we've worked extremely hard and we put ourselves in a position to make this happen," head coach Jim Barnes said. "I'm just proud of the way that we got out there and battled every point with a lot of confidence and a lot of determination. Even though we dropped that third set, we always felt we had the leverage on this team and then we finished them off."
The Green Wave recorded a .243 team hitting percentage in their first win against the Bearcats in 23 years, holding CU to .160 while totaling ten blocks.
Freshman outside hitter Makala Heidelberg earned her ninth double-double of the season, leading Tulane with 15 kills and 17 digs while hitting .375. Junior right side hitter Erika Hansel and senior middle hitter Dayna Kern also tallied double-digit kills, adding 13 and 11 with hitting percentages of .379 and .385, respectively.
Tulane came out strong in the first set, with kills from Hansel, Kern, Heidelberg and sophomore outside hitter Lexie Douglas giving the home team a six-point lead with an 8-2 score. The Green Wave's offense dominated the match, with the team hitting .393, while their defensive court presence held the Bearcats to a .087 hitting percentage. A 5-0 run kept Tulane in the lead with a 17-8 score, with two quick kills from Heidelberg closing the set to give the Green Wave a 1-0 match lead.
Set two was a close race up until the final point, with 14 tied scores and seven lead changes before Tulane pulled out a 25-23 win. Cincinnati started off on top with a 5-3 lead, but four consecutive kills from Kern and Heidelberg put the Wave in the lead at 7-5. Tulane tallied 17 total kills in the set, with three in a row from Hansel ending it to put the home team at a 2-0 advantage in the match.
A strong start in set three marked by the Green Wave's early 6-0 lead was not enough to solidify the sweep, with Tulane falling to CU in a tight 23-25 battle. The Bearcats went on a 5-0 run to take the lead with a 16-15 score before the Wave came back to tie it at 17. Tied scores at 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 demonstrated the even play between the teams, until a Bearcats kill at set point forced a fourth set.
Two consecutive service aces from senior libero Lisa Mordell helped the Green Wave in gaining six points on the Bearcats with an early 12-6 lead. Kills from Hansel and Douglas, along with an ace from junior libero Kaylie McHugh, sent Tulane on a 4-0 run to keep the team on top at 18-11. A 7-1 run from Cincinnati late in the set closed the score gap, with CU down by three at match point, but Hansel and freshman middle hitter Kayla Dinkins teamed up for a block to grab the win.
The Green Wave head on the road next weekend for a series of Texas match-ups, facing Houston on Friday at 7 p.m. and SMU on Sunday at 1 p.m.
"We want to be in the moment, we want to make the most of everyday because our ceiling hasn't been reached yet," Barnes added about the remainder of the season. "Even in this match, we didn't play our best and that speaks volumes. We didn't play our best but yet we still beat one of the top teams in the league so, it's just about pushing to get better each and every day."
Follow Tulane volleyball on social media at @GreenWaveVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, FacebookÂ, Instagram.Â
