Tulane University
5-7,3-2AAC
SMU
5-4,1-4AAC
Volleyball Rolls to 3-1 Victory Over SMU on the Road
Mar 4, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
DALLAS — The Tulane volleyball team moved to 5-7 overall and 3-2 in American Athletic Conference play on Thursday night, defeating SMU (5-4, 1-4 AAC) in a four-set battle on the road in the Moody Coliseum.
The Olive and Blue recorded 66 kills, 81 digs, 59 assists and 10.0 blocks in the match, outscoring the Mustangs in all categories but one.
"I'm incredibly happy for our players," head coach Jim Barnes said. "They have dealt with adversity, lineup changes due to injury and a different system moving to a 5-1, and we won a close, tough road match against one of our top rivals. Taylor [Henigsman] ran the offense well and Lexie [Douglas] and Yvette [Burcescu] were nearly unstoppable. Our team really came together."
Senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas helped lead the Green Wave to a 3-1 win on both sides of the court, tying her career-high with 22 kills while hitting .327 and also recording a career-high 21 digs.
Also notching double-digit kills was junior right side hitter Yvette Burcescu with 13, leading the team with a .400 hitting clip, and junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins with 11, who also tied a career-high with nine blocks.
Junior setter Taylor Henigsman was also a key performer in Tulane's victory, notching a career-high 52 assists, while adding nine digs, four kills and two blocks.
Freshman libero Sophia Ervanian totaled 19 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Jillian Dits added 13 and senior defensive specialist Mia Primavera added 10.
SMU jumped out to an early lead in the match, ahead by seven with a 19-12 score that forced a Tulane timeout. The Green Wave came out strong following the huddle, as kills from sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Stefanov, Burcescu and Dinkins sent the Olive and Blue on a 4-0 run to make it 19-16 and force a Mustangs timeout. Tulane took its first lead of the night at 25-24 with a block from Henigsman and Dinkins, with ties continuing at each point for the remainder of the match until the Mustangs closed it out, 33-31, to take a 1-0 lead.
The Green Wave took an early 4-1 lead in the second set, staying ahead until the Mustangs came back to tie it up at 7-7. The teams were tied again at 13-13 and, similar to the first set, were tied at each remaining point until Tulane was able to close it out at 25-23 to even the match at 1-1. The Olive and Blue demonstrated a strong defensive unit in the second set, holding the Mustangs to a .125 hitting percentage.
Tulane grabbed a 6-1 lead to start the third set, staying ahead until a 6-0 Mustangs run tied the score at 14-14. A 4-0 Green Wave run, with a kill from Stefanov, an ace from senior defensive specialist Nicole Levine and a block from Stefanov and Dinkins, put the Olive and Blue back on top, 19-15. Tulane would ultimately stay ahead to finish it out, taking a 2-1 match lead with a 25-20 score.
The fourth set was a battle all the way through, with tie scores to start until SMU took a 15-12 lead. A 3-0 Green Wave run put Tulane ahead, 16-15, until the Mustangs evened the score again at 20-20. A kill from Douglas put the Olive and Blue at match point, 24-23, before a second kill from the senior solidified the win for the Wave with a 25-23 score to avoid a fifth set of action.
The Green Wave will be back in action on Friday as they are set to face the Mustangs in a second match, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Moody Coliseum.
Follow Tulane volleyball on social media at @GreenWaveVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
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