Tulane University
4-6,2-1AAC
Houston
6-1,3-0AAC
Volleyball Falls to Houston in Four Sets on the Road
Feb 20, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON — The Tulane volleyball team (4-6, 2-1 AAC) fell to Houston (6-1, 3-0 AAC) in a four-set match (15-25, 12-25, 25-18, 18-25) on Saturday in the Athletics/Alumni Center.
"We started very slow and Houston made us pay for it," head coach Jim Barnes said. "In set three, we passed the ball in serve receive well and won easily. If we can pass well in three sets, we have a great chance of winning tomorrow."
Freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Martin paved the way for the Green Wave offense, totaling 10 kills while hitting .231. Freshman right side hitter Anna Davis was right there with Martin, recording nine kills while hitting .333.
Also leading Tulane up front was sophomore middle hitter Lauryn Green, adding eight kills while hitting .538 and also notching three blocks.
Freshman libero Sophia Ervanian totaled 13 digs in the four-set match while junior setters Taylor Henigsman and Amanda Giardina each earned double-digit assists, recording 20 and 16, respectively.
Houston jumped out to an 8-1 lead to start the match, ultimately staying ahead to close it out and take the first set. Two quick kills from Davis helped to close the gap and make it a three-point game at 11-8, but the Cougars followed it up with a 7-0 run to make it 24-13. Kills from Davis and senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas held the home team at set point before Houston was able to close it out, 25-15.
The Cougars came out firing into the second set, gaining a 6-1 advantage before a 6-0 run extended their lead to 16-6. A kill from Green sparked a 3-0 Green Wave run, but Tulane was unable to come back from the deficit, with the Cougars taking a 2-0 lead in the match after a 25-12 win.
Tulane turned things around in the third — hitting .500 as a team in the set — as the Wave took a 9-5 lead early with a 7-2 run. The Olive and Blue stayed ahead for the remainder of the set, as kills from junior right side hitter Yvette Burcescu and sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Stefanov were followed by a service ace from junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins to make it a seven-point game at 19-12. The Green Wave held its lead to finish it off, 25-18, as a kill from Davis at set point forced a fourth set of action.
Set four marked a back-and-forth battle between both teams, with 11 tie scores throughout the first half of play. Back-to-back kills from Stefanov put the Olive and Blue ahead by one at 16-15 before the Cougars came back on a 10-2 run to wrap up the fourth, 25-18, and avoid a fifth-set tiebreaker.
The Green Wave will be back in action on Sunday as they are set to face the Cougars for a second time this weekend in the Athletic/Alumni Center at 2 p.m.
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