Tulane University
3-5,1-0AAC
Memphis
3-2,0-1AAC
Volleyball Defeats Memphis 3-1, Starts AAC Play 1-0
Feb 12, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS — The Tulane volleyball team (3-5, 1-0 AAC) defeated Memphis (3-2, 0-1 AAC) in four sets (24-26, 25-20, 25-16, 25-23) on Friday in the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse, winning its first American Athletic Conference match of the season.
"Our mentality was that we were 0-0 going into conference play," head coach Jim Barnes said. "Everything we learned prior to that was to prepare us for conference play. It's a short season, so every game really matters, and tonight both teams put it all out there. I'm proud of the way we came back, at times we dominated the match, and had to come back to win it. We saw just about a little bit of everything in that game."
Senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas led the way for the Green Wave's offense in the win, totaling 14 kills while also adding 10 digs for a double-double. Junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins notched 11 kills while hitting .333 in the match, also adding nine blocks, while freshman right side hitter Anna Davis totaled 10 while hitting .375.
Freshman libero Sophia Ervanian earned a career-high 34 digs in four sets, followed by freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Martin with 18. Ervanian's 34 digs are the fourth most in program history, and the second most ever in a four-set match.
Also earning a double-double on Friday was junior setter Amanda Giardina, totaling 24 kills and 11 assists. Junior setter Taylor Henigsman also recorded double-digit assists, adding 22.
The first set marked a back-and-forth game, with 13 tie scores and seven lead changes. A 5-1 Memphis run put the visiting team ahead, 14-10, before a 4-0 run from Tulane tied it back up at 15-15. A solo block from junior right side Yvette Burcescu capped off a 5-0 Green Wave run to put the home team ahead, 23-20, before a 6-1 run from the Tigers finished it off at 26-24 to give Memphis the 1-0 match advantage.
Memphis jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the second set before three consecutive kills from Tulane sent the team on a 4-0 run to even the score at 5-5. No team had a lead greater than two points for the remainder of the set until a 3-0 run, sparked by kills from Dinkins and Douglas, put the Green Wave at set point to have a solo bock from Dinkins close it out at 25-20 and even the match at 1-1.
The Olive and Blue were ahead for the entire third set, taking a 4-0 lead to start and ultimately staying on top to take a 2-1 match lead. Kills from Davis and Dinkins kept the Green Wave rolling, putting the home team up by 10 at 20-10. A kill from Martin at set point ended the third, putting Tulane in the lead with a 25-16 set score.
The Tigers grabbed a 6-1 lead to start set four, staying ahead even when Tulane pulled within one at 13-12 on a 4-0 Green Wave run. A 7-0 Memphis run made it a 20-12 game and looked like it would be headed to a fifth set, until an 8-0 run from the Olive and Blue put the home team ahead, 23-22. Kills from Davis and Mackenzie gave Tulane its last two points, closing the match to give the Green Wave their first AAC win in 2021.
The Green Wave are back in action on Saturday as the team is set to face Memphis at 1 p.m. in Fogelman in Devlin.
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