Tulane Volleyball Looks Back at Record-Breaking 2018 Season
Dec 19, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS – After being picked to finish 10th in the conference preseason coaches poll, the Tulane volleyball team went on an 11-match winning streak in American Athletic Conference play to earn a final third-place standing and eventually become the first team in conference and program history to compete in a postseason tournament championship match.Â
The Green Wave broke seven conference records in their season of success on the court, totaling 1,896 assists, 1,952 kills, 350 blocks, 2,305 digs and 203 service aces to take the No. 1 spots in each category in The American's history book.
Tulane also totaled 18 home wins in 2018, the most ever in AAC history, and recorded 29 overall wins for only the third time in program history to tie the conference record.
The team also posted top-10 spots in 12 single-season program categories. Tulane broke the records for digs, block assists and reception percentage, totaling 2,303, 626 and .946, respectively. The Green Wave also checked in at second-place in program history with 5,155 attack attempts, 1,869 assists, 143 sets played and 38 total matches played.
Tulane finished third overall in the program record books in kills and total team points, tallying 1,952 and 2,505, respectively. The Green Wave also checked in at No. 4Â with a .925 serve percentage and No. 5Â with 350 total team blocks.
Wrapping up the team's records in 2018, Tulane tied the eighth-place record in attacking percentage at .234 and took the 12th-place spots in service aces, assists per set and digs per set, with 203, 13.1 and 16.1, respectively.
Though the Green Wave may not have broken any national records in their historic season, they appeared six times in the NCAA's top-five overall stats. The team totaled the highest number of kills and assists in the nation while finishing third in total team blocks and fourth in total attacks. Tulane also took the No. 5 spot in opponent hitting percentage and total team digs in addition to the 11th-place spot in single-season service aces.
Individually, head coach Jim Barnes recorded his 400th career win in his third season with the Green Wave. He now holds a 61-42 record at Tulane while going 405-310 overall in his 22nd season as a head coach.
Junior libero Kaylie McHugh broke two records in her third season in New Orleans, as she now holds the single-season conference record for service aces and the program single-season record for digs, with 63 and 626, respectively.
Breaking multiple individual and team records at the conference and program levels in its successful run, Tulane's young team is just getting started and looks forward to similar success in the 2019 season.
Follow Tulane volleyball on social media at @GreenWaveVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, all-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
