Spring 2021 Volleyball Positional Preview: Hitters
Jan 18, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
The first in a three-part series on the spring 2021Â Tulane volleyball team.Â
After making back-to-back postseason appearances in 2018 and 2019, the Tulane volleyball team will look to accomplish even more in 2021 — the Green Wave's first-ever spring season. A large part of the team's recent success has come from the strength Tulane has shown in its offensive attack, and the depth on this year's roster looks to hold even higher expectations for the future.
Senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas leads the Olive and Blue heading into her final season Uptown after finishing the 2019 season as a first team All-American Athletic Conference selection and also earning spots on the AAC Championship All-Tournament Team and All-Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) First Team.
The Plano, Texas native topped Tulane's roster with 384 kills to average 2.93 per set, hitting .185 on the season. Douglas was also third on the team in digs with 384 and second in service aces with 37. The senior led the Green Wave in double-doubles with 13 and also led the squad in points with a total of 455.
Stepping up in a big way for Tulane last season was junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins, who was named a first team All-American Athletic Conference selection and a second team All-LSWA pick. The Pittsburg, Pennsylvania native led the team in blocks with 171, ranking sixth nationally, while her 154 block assists were tied for the most in a single season in program history.
The third-year Green Wave finished second on the roster with 275 kills to average 2.17 per set and totaled 11 matches with a hitting percentage of .400 or better.
Sophomore middle hitter Lauryn Green shined in her first season Uptown as she led Tulane with a hitting percentage of .326 and totaled 235 kills to average 2.03 per set. The Forney, Texas native also added 125 blocks in 2019 and hit at least .300 with 10 or more kills in eight matches.
An offensive and defensive threat on the Green Wave roster comes from junior outside hitter Makala Heidelberg, who finished second on the team with 387 digs to average 3.42 per set while also totaling 160 kills to average 1.42 per set. The Winter Garden, Florida native also added 47 blocks, 20 service aces and 17 assists in 2019, recording double-digit digs in 22 matches and double-digit kills in six matches to total five double-doubles.
Junior right side hitter Yvette Burcescu proved to be a consistent force in her sophomore season in Olive and Blue, finishing fourth on the team with 222 kills and third on the team with 83 blocks while also adding 63 digs. The Cortlandt Manor, New York native recorded double-digit kills in seven matches and had at least one block in every match but one. The junior earned a career-high 16 kills last season while hitting .433 against Bowling Green.
Sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Stefanov readies for this season after finishing with 48 kills and 12 blocks in 10 matches in her first year Uptown. The Stow, Ohio native recorded a season-high nine kills while hitting .240 against Houston in 2019.
Sophomore outside hitter Oona Bruss did not compete in the 2019 season, earning a redshirt.
Freshman middle/right side hitter Anna Davis is one of two offensive newcomers for the Green Wave this season and comes to New Orleans from Highlands, Colorado, where she was a second team All-America pick and one of the top 20 senior players in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com. Davis totaled 964 kills while hitting .474 in 391 sets played in four years at Valor Christian High School, helping lead the team to its first-ever state championship in the association's largest class in 5A. The first-year Tulanian was also named the South Metro Co-Volleyball Player of the Year to go along with being a second team all-state pick and a first team all-league selection.
Freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Martin wraps up the hitters on Tulane's roster, joining the team from Port Orange, Florida, where she was named her team's MVP as a senior and earned three consecutive trips to the Florida State tournament sweet 16 in one of the state's largest classes. Over the course of her prep career at Spruce Creek High School, Martin played in over 300 sets and notched over 900 kills, 130 blocks, 930 digs and 85 service aces. The newcomer set a school record in kills in a match with 28 while also setting the school record in season kills with 418.
The Tulane volleyball team is set to open its spring 2021Â season on Friday as the team heads to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take on Southern Miss and UNO in the non-conference tri-match.
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