Tulane University
4-7,2-2AAC
Houston
7-1,4-0AAC
Volleyball Drops 3-1 Match at Houston to Close Weekend Road Trip
Feb 21, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON — The Tulane volleyball team moved to 4-7 in 2021 and 2-2 in American Athletic Conference play as the Green Wave dropped a four-set match (19-25, 19-25, 25-17, 18-25) to Houston (7-1, 4-0 AAC) on Sunday to wrap up the team's weekend on the road.
"Both teams played very hard," head coach Jim Barnes said. "We out-dug them and matched them in kills. Using our fifth different lineup due to injury, we just had too many errors at crucial times. We have two weeks to heal up and get ready for SMU."
Tulane and Houston each totaled 48 kills in four sets of action in the Athletics/Alumni Center, while the Green Wave recorded 61Â digs compared to the Cougars' 55.
Freshman outside hitter Anna Davis led the way for the Olive and Blue offense, recording a career-high 13 kills while hitting .281. Senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas also notched double-digit kills in the match, totaling 12.
Also earning a career-high mark in the four-set match was junior setter Taylor Henigsman, who notched 46 assists. Freshman libero Sophia Ervanian topped Tulane's defensive stats with 16 digs while senior Mia Primavera totaled a career-best 14 digs.
Junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins helped lead Tulane on both ends of the court, totaling seven kills while hitting .286 and also adding a team-high five blocks.
Douglas paced Tulane's offense to start the match, notching three quick kills on three attempts to put Tulane ahead at 6-3. A 6-0 run from the Cougars then put the home team ahead, 9-6, before the Green Wave came back to tie it up at 11-11. A kill from sophomore middle hitter Lauryn Green was followed by a block from Green and Henigsman to make it a one-point game with the Cougars leading 16-15, but Houston was able to stay ahead for the remainder of play and ultimately close out the first set at 25-19.
The Olive and Blue came out swinging to start the second set, with kills from Davis, Dinkins and Douglas, along with a solo block from Dinkins, putting Tulane up 5-0. The Cougars came back to tie it up at 10-10, ultimately extending their lead to 20-15 on three consecutive kills. A 3-0 Tulane run put the Green Wave within two, at 20-18, but Houston held its advantage to finish it out at 25-19 and take a 2-0 match lead.
Tulane was rolling in set three, jumping out to a 16-7 lead on a 5-0 run with three consecutive kills from junior right side hitter Yvette Burcescu before a 4-0 run gave the Green Wave a dominating 20-9 lead. A 3-0 Cougar run closed the gap to seven at 22-15, but Tulane held onto its lead as a kill from Burcescu at set point solidified the 25-17 win to force a fourth set.
Set four was a back-and-forth battle to start until Houston gained a five-point lead at 14-9. Kills from Douglas and sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Stefanov helped to close the gap at 18-14 but were not enough for the Green Wave to come back from the deficit, as Houston closed it out at 25-18 to avoid a fifth set and take the match.
The Green Wave will be back in action in two weeks as they head to Dallas, Texas, to continue on with AAC play and take on SMU on Thursday, March 4 at 6 p.m. and Friday, March 5 at 2 p.m.
Follow Tulane volleyball on social media at @GreenWaveVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
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