Volleyball Heads to Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational This Weekend

TULANE GREEN WAVE (6-2 OVERALL, 0-0 AMERICAN)
When:	Friday, Sept. 13 \| 1 p.m vs. Ohio State (3-3 Overall, 0-0 Big Ten) Saturday, Sept. 14 \| 11 a.m vs. Bowling Green (5-2 Overall, 0-0 MAC) Saturday Sept. 14 \| 6 p.m vs. Western Kentucky (6-1 Overall, 0-0 C-USA)
Where:	Bowling Green, Ky. \| Diddle Arena
Watch:	Live Video (vs. WKU)
Stats:	Live Stats
Notes:	New Orleans
Social:	T witter \| Instagram \| Facebook

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The final non-conference tournament weekend of the season takes the Tulane volleyball team to Western Kentucky for the 2019 Holiday Inn – University Plaza Invitational beginning Friday afternoon against Ohio State, Bowling Green and the host Hilltoppers.

The Green Wave open play Friday at 1 p.m. at Diddle Arena against the Buckeyes, closing the tournament on Saturday taking on the Falcons at 11 a.m. before ending the tournament against WKU at 6 p.m. Live stats links for all three matches, as well as a live stream through Facebook Live for the finale against Western Kentucky can be found on the volleyball schedule page at TulaneGreenWave.com.

Tulane will face some of its strongest competition so far this season at the invitational, facing a Big Ten opponent, and a BGSU and WKU set of teams who have a combined 11 wins on the year coming into the weekend.

The Green Wave sit at 6-2 on the campaign and are coming off a four-set victory over the New Orleans Privateers Tuesday night at the Human Performance Center on UNO's campus. It was the first four-set victory of the season for the squad, as the team picked up the first two sets and then the fourth to close out the match after New Orleans claimed the third.

Tulane has proven to be a team that can score points in a host of ways, not just with kills but coming with service aces and at the net with blocks.

Junior Lexie Douglas leads the team with 87 kills, averaging three per set, while also adding in 2.38 digs per set in matches. The Texas native has three of Tulane's five double-doubles this season, finishing Tuesday night's game with 11 kills, 11 digs and added five service aces.

The middle duo of sophomore Kayla Dinkins and freshman Lauryn Green have been on a tear recently, as Dinkins leads the team in blocks with 35 and is second on the team in kills with 66 for a 2.54 average. Green, who has found more time in the rotation and has played in 19 sets, has 40 kills and is hitting .500 on the season.

Amanda Giardina and Jenna Ibieta are both averaging over five assists per set for the Green Wave, with Ibieta averaging 5.48 assists per set, while Giardina is at 5.07 and is leading the group with 137 total assists.

Helping hold opponents to a .146 hitting percentage from her position in the back row is senior Kaylie McHugh, who just over 40 digs away from setting the program record at Tulane. She has 134 this season and 1,946 for her career, as she will eventually pass Jenn Miller who holds the record with 1,987 from 2006-09.

Ohio State is 3-3 on the season, with wins over Lehigh, VCU and Duquesne, with losses coming against Texas Tech, a ranked Pitt team and Green Bay.

After dropping the last two matches their opening weekend at a tournament hosted by Notre Dame, Bowling Green has rattled off four consecutive victories and come into the weekend 5-2 overall, claiming a five-set win over Oakland on Tuesday night.

The Hilltoppers are 6-1, with the team's only loss coming to a ranked Louisville side at their tournament last weekend. Still, Western Kentucky has a win over Arizona State, swept Toledo's tournament to open the season and will come into the weekend with a win over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday.

Tulane has never played Ohio State before in volleyball, while the Falcons hold the edge in the only previous meeting between the two sides. The Green Wave defeated Western Kentucky in the only previous meeting before this weekend.

Single-game and season 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.

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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 Heads to Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Kayla Dinkins

Lexie Douglas

Amanda Giardina

Lauryn Green

Jenna Ibieta

Kaylie McHugh

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