Tulane University
4-1
Wofford
2-2
Volleyball Finishes 1-1, Prepares for Day Two on the Road
Aug 30, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
ATLANTA, Ga. – Tulane volleyball finished 1-1 in the team's first away matches of the season, sweeping South Alabama in three sets (25-23, 25-13, 25-23) Thursday afternoon after falling to Wofford in a hard-fought match (22-25, 22-25, 25-20, 20-25) in the O'Keefe Gym at the Georgia Tech Invitational.Â
"We dropped our first match of the season and learned some hard lessons. We were able to rebound nicely and we beat a good team in South Alabama," head coach Jim Barnes said. "We are getting great play from our left sides Lexie [Douglas] and Makala [Heidelberg.] Yvette [Burcescu] also came in and played right side for the first time this season, and was really a difference maker in the match."
Freshman outside hitter Makala Heidelberg posted her first career double-double in match one, leading the team in kills with 12 and digs with 21 against Wofford. Junior libero Kaylie McHugh posted 18 digs in four sets against the Terriers, while sophomore middle hitter Markenzie Benoit finished with 11 kills and a team-high six blocks.
Sophomore Lexie Douglas led the Green Wave in kills in the team's second match of the day, recording 12 against the Jaguars alongside a .375 hitting percentage. Middle hitters, Benoit and senior Dayna Kern, finished the match with eight kills each, while Heidelberg recorded six kills and a team-high 12 digs.
South Alabama
The Green Wave came out strong in their match against South Alabama, recording quick points in back-to-back kills from both Heidelberg and Kern to put Tulane on top. The Olive and Blue played strong offensively to keep their lead, with Douglas, Benoit and Kern each tallying four kills in the first set. South Alabama started to pick up its momentum, recording two three-point runs to put the Jaguars down by one at set point, before Douglas was able to finish it off with a kill that won it for the Green Wave at 25-23.
Beginning with a 6-0 run, Tulane was able to grab the lead early and maintain it throughout set two. Freshman outside hitter Yvette Burcescu scored some big kills for the team to keep the Green Wave on top, totaling seven in the match with a .417 hitting percentage. Consecutive kills from Douglas at the end of the set helped to keep Tulane ahead, ultimately coming out on top with a score of 25-13.
The third set saw constant ties between Tulane and South Alabama, with neither team able to gain a lead of more than three points during the set. With the score tied at 22, Kern was able to add in two kills to finish off the Jaguars, assisting the Green Wave in its fifth sweep of the season.
Wofford
Set one of Tulane's first road match of the season marked a hard fight between both teams, with back-and-forth action from beginning to end. An ace from McHugh started it up for the Olive and Blue, putting the team in the lead at 11-10. A double block from senior middle hitter Hannah Shaw and sophomore outside hitter Kristen Thompson, followed by a kill from Benoit, kept the Green Wave on top at 16-14. With the teams tied again at 19, Wofford took the lead with a series of kills, staying on top to win it 25-22.
Starting off with a 5-3 lead, the Green Wave took control of the offense on the court in the second set. Three consecutive kills from Benoit kept the team on top, gaining a lead of 11-7. The score stayed within a few points for the remainder of the set, with Tulane battling hard but falling to Wofford at 25-22.
Similar to the previous two sets, Tulane and Wofford exchanged leads for the majority of set three. Heidelberg played a strong offensive role, leading the team in kills with five and digs with seven. A solo block from Shaw kept the Green Wave in the lead at 23-19, ultimately holding their place on the top to take set three, 25-20.
In the team's first fourth set of the 2018 season, Tulane started off strong with a big save from McHugh to tie the score at 7. Wofford gained and maintained a lead from there, until the Green Wave tied it up again with the Terriers at 19. Tulane was unable to bring its offensive power in the final set, recording eight kills and nine attacking errors to close out the match with a 3-1 loss.
Tulane is set to face Alabama State at 8:30 a.m. and Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. on Friday, finishing its four-match road weekend before heading back home to New Orleans.
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