Tulane Sweeps UTEP in Season Home Opener

Friday, August 24

New Orleans, La.

7 pm

Tulane University

1-0

UTEP

1-1

UTEP

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Aug 24, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS — Tulane volleyball started the 2018 season off with a sweep, beating UTEP in a three-set match (25-21, 25-23, 25-21) in the team's I-10 Tournament home opener.

"I think it was a learning process. We started a little tight, made some errors in the beginning, but did a great job of getting better as every set went along," head coach Jim Barnes said. "There were a lot of new faces on that floor and we did a great job of executing a game plan once we started steadying out our hitting errors. And that's what kept the other team in it was our errors, but then we smoothed it out and played well."

The Green Wave's hitting errors at the beginning of the match kept the team trailing behind the Miners until Tulane eventually tied the score at 19 and picked up its offense to record a 6-0 run. With 14 kills in the first set, six from sophomore middle hitter Markenzie Benoit, Tulane was able to make a quick comeback from its initial deficit.

The second set marked a hard fought match between the Green Wave and the Miners, with both teams exchanging leads from start to finish. A diving save from junior libero Kaylie McHugh followed by a kill from senior middle hitter Dayna Kern put Tulane put Tulane on top 7-5. Tulane maintained the lead until UTEP tied the score at 22, following with back-to-back blocks from Benoit and junior right side hitter Erika Hansel.

Tulane and UTEP continued with their back and forth play in the final set, but the Green Wave's 14 kills and three blocks proved to be too much for the Miners to handle. Hansel led the team in kills with nine, while Benoit had a standout performance with eight kills, a .312 hitting percentage and four blocks.

Freshmen outside hitters Makala Heidelberg and Yvette Burcescu also had impressive first nights on the court. Heidelberg recorded seven kills and three blocks in the three-set match, while Burcescu marked four kills and two blocks in her opening match.

"We're really evaluating our team this weekend," Barnes said. "The challenge is playing consistent with so many new players on the floor, but it's good to see how they play in game-type situations. It's a fun time though you get to see what they're made of on gameday."

The Green Wave will face Incarnate Word and Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively, continuing on with its I-10 Tournament matches.

Single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging into TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

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