Tulane University
Memphis
Volleyball Heads to Memphis, Looks to Grab First Conference Win
Oct 4, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
Match Notes
NEW ORLEANS โ Coming off an 0-2 weekend at home against UCF and USF, the Tulane volleyball team readies for play against Memphis on the road and looks to grab its first conference win.
"We now begin our segment of the season where we play every conference opponent twice. We have been working extremely hard in practice to get back on track after losing some close sets to the top teams in our league," head coach Jim Barnes said. "Memphis has played very well at home. We match up well and look forward to the challenge."
Despite the Green Wave's tough start to conference play against four challenging opponents, the team remains in the nation's top 25 in six categories, checking in at seventh in team assists with 887, tenth in kills with 935, 12th in total blocks with 170.5, 14th in service aces with 106, 21st in opponent hitting percentage with .155 and 24th in total attacks with 2,463.
Sophomore outside hitter Lexie Douglas leads Tulane offensively with 174 total kills this season. Junior libero Kaylie McHugh ranks eighth in the nation and second in the conference with 32 service aces, also owning the No. 6 spot in the AAC with an average of 4.46 digs per set. Sophomore middle hitter Markenzie Benoit and senior middle hitter Dayna Kern have teamed up to serve as a powerful blocking duo, adding 69 and 67, respectively, this season to take the first and second spots in the conference.
Memphis is 0-4 heading into this weekend's match up, falling to Tulsa and Wichita State on the road and to USF and UCF at home in four consecutive three-set matches to put the team at 7-9 overall. The team is 4-5 on their home court this season in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Leading the Tigers offense is sophomore right side hitter Hannah Flowers, who leads the AAC and checks in at No. 19 in the nation with 0.50 aces per set. Flowers is also seated at fourth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .325 and in kills with an average of 3.48 per set, while also owning the No. 3 spot in points with 252 total and 4.34 per set. Freshman libero Kaitlyn Gehler tops the team's defense with 178 total digs this season, averaging 3.5 per set.ย
The Green Wave own a 20-29 overall record against the Tigers, with Tulane going 3-13 against Memphis on the road. The conference rivals have played five sets in each of their last three match-ups, with Tulane falling to Memphis in the final sets to post an 0-3 record against the Tigers since 2015.
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