Volleyball Advances to NIVC Semifinals, Defeats Valparaiso in Four Sets
Dec 6, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane volleyball team (28-8, 13-5 American Athletic Conference) is headed to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship Semifinals, defeating Valparaiso in four sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-13, 25-20) to earn a top-four spot in the postseason tournament.
"I'm extremely proud of this team, not just winning but the way we win and the way we play together," head coach Jim Barnes said. "It's not always perfect, this game is so full of momentum and usually the tougher team comes out on top. We showed just a lot of toughness tonight."
The Green Wave are set to continue hosting the NIVC, matching up against College of Charleston (24-11, 11-5 Colonial Athletic Association) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
Tulane football head coach Willie Fritz has purchased all of the tickets to the semifinal competition, providing fans with complimentary entry to the match.
This marks the first time in program history that Tulane has participated in postseason semifinals, with the Green Wave also being the first team in the AAC to make it as far in the NIVC.
As Tulane makes history this season with its successful postseason advancement, the Green Wave also continue to break records along the way. The team set single-season conference records for kills, blocks, service aces and assists in Thursday night's win.
Tulane finished the night with a team hitting percentage of .366, holding Valparaiso to a .184 hitting percentage. Junior right side hitter Erika Hansel led the Green Wave with 17 kills while hitting .517, followed by senior middle hitter Dayna Kern with 12 while hitting .435.
The home team tallied 13 total blocks in the four-set victory, with Kern leading the way with seven and freshmen outside hitter Yvette Burcescu and middle hitter Kayla Dinkins each adding six. Junior libero Kaylie McHugh led the defense with 17 digs, while freshman setter Taylor Henigsman topped the stats with 33 assists.
The Green Wave recorded five service aces in the first set, ultimately pulling out a 25-18 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match. A 4-0 run put Tulane ahead by five with a 16-11 score, staying ahead to ultimately finish it out with a kill from Hansel, an ace from sophomore setter Jenna Ibieta and a kill from Kern.
The second set marked a tough fight all the way until the end, with 13 tied scores and seven lead changes, before Valparaiso earned a 25-22 win to even the match at 1-1. A 4-1 run from Valparaiso at a tied 21 score sent the Crusaders ahead, with two consecutive Green Wave attacking errors at set point solidifying the win for the visiting team.
Tulane dominated the third set of play, hitting .609 as a team with a total of 15 kills, while holding Valpo to a .000 hitting percentage. The Green Wave grabbed an early 7-1 lead, with kills from Kern, Dinkins and Heidelberg, and stayed on top to finish it with a 12-point deficit and a 25-13 score.
The fourth set marked another close competition for both teams before Tulane was able to pull out a 25-20 win and avoid a fifth set. Thee consecutive kills for the Green Wave, two from Dinkins and one from Hansel, broke a 12-12 tie to put Tulane back on top after 10 previous tied scores in the set. Though a 3-0 run from the Crusaders held the Green Wave at match point, a kill from Hansel finished it off to hand Tulane its 28th win of the season.
"It's a quick turnaround and College of Charleston is playing lights out," Barnes said of Tulane's semifinals opponent. "They swept Clemson so it will be a tough test but this team is a fighter so we'll be ready."
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