Tulane University
Southern Miss
Volleyball Travels to Southern Miss for Season Opener
Jan 21, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
| TULANE GREEN WAVE (0-0 OVERALL, 0-0 AMERICAN) | |
| When: | Friday, Jan. 22 | 2 p.m. at Southern Missย (2-0 Overall, 0-0 C-USA) Saturday, Jan. 23 | 11 a.m. vs. UNO (0-0 Overall, 0-0 Southland) |
| Where: | Hattiesburg, Miss. | Wellness Center |
| Watch: | Southern Miss |
| Stats: | Southern Missย | UNO |
| Notes: | Week 1ย Game Notesย | Spring 2021 Media Guide |
| Social: | Twitterย |ย Instagramย |ย Facebook |
NEW ORLEANS โ The Tulane volleyball team is set to open the spring 2021 season on Friday as the team heads to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to compete in the Southern Mississippi Tri-Match.
The Green Wave (0-0, 0-0 AAC) will face host Southern Miss (2-0, 0-0 C-USA) on Friday at 2 p.m. in the Wellness Centerย before matching up against UNO (0-0, 0-0 Southland) on Saturday at 11 a.m. This weekend's matches will be closed to the public.
"After the longest pause in NCAA volleyballย history, we finally get to play," head coach Jim Barnes said. "Our team has persevered and worked hard to get ready for this season. We have been the top-ranked defense for the last twoย years in the AAC and we expect to be even better this year. Our seniors are ready to lead us to a championship. Now, we play!"
Tulane went 3-0 last year in the team's opening weekend, sweeping UTEP, Incarnate Word and Louisiana-Lafayette at the DoubleTree Classic in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The Olive and Blue won 22 matches last year and made a second consecutive postseason appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). Tulane led the American Athletic Conference in opponent hitting percentage (.164) in 2019, also ranking second in total blocks (334.0) and third in service aces per set (1.39).
The Green Wave were picked to finish second in the West Division in this year'sย AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins and senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Dinkins led the Green Wave in blocks in 2019 with 171, ranking sixth nationally and second in the AAC. Her 154 block assists last season were tied for the most in a single season in program history.
Douglas, a unanimous preseason all-conference selection, topped Tulane's roster with 384 kills to average 2.93 per set in 2019. She was also third on the team in digs with 334 and second in service aces with 37 while also leading the Olive and Blue in double-doubles (13) and points (455).
Tulane welcomes 14ย returners back for the spring 2021 season and adds three newcomers to this year's rosterย โ freshmen Sophia Ervanian, Anna Davis and Mackenzie Martin.
Southern Miss is currently 2-0 to start the season after beating Louisiana Tech (3-1) in two matches last fall at home following a 3-26 record in the 2019 season. The Green Wave hold a 50-10 record against the Golden Eagles in program history, beating the team 3-1 in their most recent matchup last season at Fogelman in Devlin.
New Orleans is set to kick off titsย 2020ย campaignย this weekend after going 13-18 last season. Tulane is 63-23 all time against the Privateers. In their last meeting in 2019, the Green Wave defeated UNO (3-1) on the road.
Follow Tulane volleyball on social media at @GreenWaveVBย onย Twitter,ย Instagramย andย Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics onย Twitter,ย Facebook,ย 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 Orleansย has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story atย NolaBuilt.com.
