Volleyball Takes on Houston, UConn This Weekend

TULANE GREEN WAVE (12-3 OVERALL, 2-0 AMERICAN)
When:	Friday, Oct. 4 \| 7 p.m vs. Houston (8-9 Overall, 2-0 The American) Sunday, Oct 6 \| 11 a.m at UConn (7-7 Overall, 1-1 The American)
Where:	New Orleans, La. \| Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse Storrs, Conn. \| Harry A. Gample Pavilion
Watch:	Houston UConn
Stats:	H ouston UConn
Notes:	Houston-UConn
Social:	T witter \| Instagram \| Facebook

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Tulane volleyball team opens the second week of conference play this weekend, hosting the Houston Cougars at 7 p.m. in New Orleans, before traveling to take on the UConn Huskies Sunday at 11 a.m.

With the calendar shifting to October, the Green Wave will be partnering with the Side-Out Foundation to help raise funds at each of the team's three matches this month against Houston, Cincinnati and ECU which will go towards the foundation's mission of helping women battling breast cancer. With a donation of $5 or more at any of the pink-themed matches, fans will receive a pink Tulane volleyball shirt.

Tulane, now 12-3 on the year after opening conference play with a pair of wins over Memphis and SMU last weekend, will put it's four-game winning streak on the line first with a Houston team that also earned wins over the Tigers and Mustangs in Texas last weekend and have won its last three. The two teams, along with Tulsa, are all tied for the division lead at 2-0 after the first week of competition.

The Green Wave had yet to win a five-set match this season until last weekend, pulling off two in the span of three days to even that mark at 2-2, while also improving to 5-2 at home in Fogelman in Devlin in 2019. The wins helped Tulane open league play with a pair of wins for the first time since joining the American Athletic Conference back in 2014 and for the first time since 2009 back when the team was in Conference USA.

The team hit 18 points better than its season average in the pair of wins last week, hitting .238 in conference play, averaging 11.60 kills per set and 11.10 assists per set. For the season, Tulane is swinging at a .220 clip at the net with 13.08 kills per set and 12.08 assists per set.

Makala Heidelberg and Lexie Douglas both finished with 27 kills in the two matches, as Heidelberg hit .317 for the week, while Douglas hit .224 with an identical 2.70 kills per set average. Douglas continues to lead the team for the season with 159 kills and a 2.69 kills per set average.

For the second consecutive week, sophomore Kayla Dinkins was named to the league's weekly honor roll list as she hit .306 at the net with 17 kills while also accounting for 16 blocks. Her 83 blocks and 1.48 blocks per set lead the league, ranking in the top 10 nationally in both categories.

Fellow middle Lauryn Green leads the conference with her .376 hitting average for the Green Wave, as the Texas product is also second on the team in blocks with 42.

Tulane's setters in Amanda Giardina and Jenna Ibieta were not far off their season pace after two conference matches, as Ibieta had 49 assists and averaged 4.90 per set, while Giardina had 45 and averaged 4.50. Giardina leads the team with 291, while Ibieta is averaging 5.18 per set.

Kaylie McHugh is now an even 300 digs away from catching The American's all-time mark of 2,379 after she had 44 against the Mustangs and Tigers, leading the team with 267 on the year and averaging 4.60 per set.

Tulane swept both meetings against Houston and UConn last season, as the Green Wave will make the return trip to face the Cougars on November 8. Sunday's meeting on the road against the Huskies will mark the final time the two sides will meet as conference foes as UConn will be joining the Big East Conference in the summer.

Single-game tickets for the 2019 season 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.

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.

Volleyball Takes on Houston, UConn This Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kayla Dinkins

Lexie Douglas

Amanda Giardina

Lauryn Green

Makala Heidelberg

Jenna Ibieta

Kaylie McHugh

Footer

Tulane University Athletics