Volleyball Defeats Memphis, Earns First Conference Win

Friday, October 5

Memphis, Tenn.

4:30 pm

Tulane University

13-7, 1-4

Memphis

7-10, 0-5

Tulane

Memphis

Photo by: Parker Waters

Volleyball Defeats Memphis, Earns First Conference Win

Oct 5, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Tulane volleyball earned its first conference win of the season on Friday against Memphis in four sets (18-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-18), putting the team at 13-7 on the season.

"Our hard work paid off. We had more balance tonight and put three very good sets together," head coach Jim Barnes said. "Dayna [Kern] hit well and Kayla [Dinkins] played in her first start of the season and made an impact with eight blocks. Kaylie [McHugh] had another great match with 21 digs and is a driving force for us."

Senior middle hitter Dayna Kern led the team offensively, tallying 12 kills with an attacking percentage of .435. Sophomore outside hitter Lexie Douglas also recorded double-digit kills in the match, adding ten kills while hitting .333.

Freshman middle hitter Kayla Dinkins posted a career-high eight blocks in four sets against the Tigers, also adding six kills for a strong presence on all ends of the court. Sophomore setter Jenna Ibieta led the team with 28 assists while junior Kaylie McHugh tallied a team high 21 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Makala Heidelberg hit four service aces in the match, three of which were consecutive, while also recording five kills and 14 digs.

A 5-0 run from Memphis put the Tigers ahead in the first set with a score of 9-6. Junior right side Erika Hansel's four kills were not enough to put Tulane in the lead, with Memphis staying on top for the remainder of the set to grab the win, 25-18.

The Green Wave came back strong in the following sets, winning the next three to avoid a fourth consecutive five-set match against their conference rivals.

Tulane hit .400 as a team in set two, with Kern and freshman outside hitter Yvette Burcescu each adding four. Three total team blocks from Tulane, with Dinkins and Hansel teaming up for two each, held the Tigers offense to .029. Consecutive kills from Burcescu, Heidelberg and Kern finished it off for the Green Wave and evened the match at one a piece.

The Olive and Blue kept up their aggressive offensive play in set three, hitting .276 as a team while holding Memphis to .026 with four total team blocks. Initially behind with a 6-3 lead from Memphis, Tulane hit a 6-0 run to get ahead with a score of 9-6. The Green Wave stayed on top for the remainder of the set, with Douglas totaling four kills in the third and hitting one to finish it out and put Tulane ahead 2-1 in the match.

Memphis grabbed an early lead in the fourth and final set, with a 4-0 run putting the Tigers on top 8-6. The Green Wave scored four quick points in a row to tie it up at 14, with kills from Douglas and Kern putting Tulane on top 18-16. With the Olive and Blue ahead 19-16, Kern added four kills to avoid a fifth set and solidify the win for the Wave.

"Our best weapon is our team play," Barnes said. "When we are balanced, we can play at a very high level."

The Green Wave bring it back home next weekend, matching up against SMU on Friday at 7 p.m. and Houston on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

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