Volleyball Opens WKU Invite With win Over Ohio State in Four

Friday, September 13

Bowling Green, KY

1 PM

Tulane University

7-2

Ohio State University

3-4

Tulane

Ohio State

Photo by: Clyde Verdin

Volleyball Opens WKU Invite With win Over Ohio State in Four

Sep 13, 2019 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Tulane volleyball team won a marathon first set against the Ohio State Buckeyes and used that momentum to open the 2019 Holiday Inn – University Plaza Invitational with a four-set, 32-30, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, victory Friday afternoon inside Diddle Arena.

The Green Wave (7-2) finished the match with 50 kills, with three players finishing the match in double figures, while holding Ohio State (3-4) to a .123 hitting percentage with 74 digs and 11 blocks as a team.

Lexie Douglas earned her third double-double in as many matches and fourth on the season as she had 13 kills and 10 digs, followed by Makala Heidelberg who also finished with 13 kills and eight digs. Yvette Burcescu had 10 kills and had four blocks for Tulane.

Freshman Lauryn Green led the Green Wave with five blocks and hit .500 for the match with seven kills on 12 swings.

Setters Amanda Giardina and Jenna Ibieta captured double-doubles, with Giardina having 21 assists and 17 digs, while Ibieta had 16 assists and 10 digs.

Kaylie McHugh led all players with 25 digs in the win, also adding eight assists.

After Ohio State got two of the first three points of the opening set, the Green Wave got a kill from Douglas, and consecutive Buckeye attack errors to go up 4-2. However, OSU claimed seven of the next eight points to go up 9-5 and force a Tulane timeout.

The Buckeyes were able to keep a handful of points between the two sides, but that was until a three-point swing for the Green Wave when the team was down 15-11 to pull to within one at 15-14. Tulane claimed four of the next seven points and knotted the match at 18-18 to force an OSU timeout.

Of the 14 ties in the set alone, nine came from that point on as the rest of the frame turned into a back and forth slugfest. Tulane was down 22-19, but another 3-0 swing for the Green Wave tied things back up at 22-22. The Wave were able to stave off set point for the Buckeyes by tying the game at 24 to force extra points, with Tulane eventually going on top up 26-25.

Neither team gave an inch and had opportunities to take the set, but after Ohio State tied the set at 30 Tulane got a kill from Douglas to make it 31-30, with Burcescu getting a solo block to end the marathon set and put the Green Wave on top 1-0 in the match.

The start to the second was even better for Tulane, as the squad went on an 8-1 run to force the Buckeyes into an early timeout with a hefty lead. Ohio State found its footing, but not in enough time to put a scare into the Green Wave, as after pulling to within three down 11-8, Tulane turned on the jets and scored five straight and extended their lead to 16-8.

Tulane got to 20 points first and after a timeout to halt a Ohio State rally leading 20-15, the Wave stood strong and only allowed three more points the rest of the set to pull out the second and go up 2-0 on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State put forth its best effort to open the third, going on top 6-3 and hitting well to start the third set. However, that lead was short lived as Tulane quickly tied the set at 6-6 after a block and pair of service aces from Nicole Levine. It was from that point that the Buckeyes took five of the next eight points to take a 11-9 lead over the Green Wave.

A 3-1 run by Tulane tied the set again at 12, with another short offensive spurt by the opposition quickly getting negated by the Wave as the team turned a 15-13 deficit into a 16-15 lead to force an OSU timeout. The Buckeyes weathered the attack this time around, going on to lead 22-19 to force Tulane into a timeout.

From there, the Buckeyes would hold Tulane to just one more point and win the third 25-20 to force a fourth set.

Ohio State used the momentum to open the fourth set with a 4-1 run, as Tulane clawed back by scoring four of the next six points to pull within one of the Buckeyes down 6-5. After another pair of points for Ohio State, Tulane went on a 6-0 run to go up 11-8 to take its first lead of the set.

The Buckeyes rallied to tie the set at 11-11 and 12-12, but not before Tulane earned a string of points of its own to go up 16-13. The offense for the Wave stalled as Ohio State tied the set again at 16-16 forcing Tulane into using one of its timeouts.

Out of the break the Green Wave got an unforced OSU error and a kill from Kristen Thompson to push the lead to two, with another attack error making it 19-16 Tulane. The Buckeyes hit into another Tulane block and the other side would use its final timeout trailing 20-16.

Ohio State didn't quit, using every bit of energy left to make a game of it late and made Tulane work for the victory by pulling within two at 23-21, but just steps away from the match the Green Wave got a kill from Burcescu and another OSU unforced error to claim the match in the fourth 25-22.

Tulane will close out the Holiday Inn – University Plaza Invitational on Saturday, taking on the Bowling Green Falcons at 11 a.m. at Diddle Arena, closing the event against Western Kentucky later that evening at 6 p.m.

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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