Tulane Goes 1-1 to Open NOLA Classic

Friday, April 19

Elmwood, LA

4:00 PM

Tulane University

Cal Poly

Apr 19, 2024 | Women's Beach Volleyball

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University beach volleyball (21-11) split its two duals on the first day of the NOLA Classic at White Sands Volleyball Courts on Friday. The Green Wave battled to the end against No. 4 Cal Poly before closing the day with a 3-2 victory over Southern Miss.

In its first dual of the weekend the Wave faced its fourth ranked opponent in its last five matches as Tulane took the sand against fourth-ranked Cal Poly. The Green Wave faced an early deficit against the Mustangs after losing the first point at flight four in two sets. Samantha Green and Skylar Ensign nearly knotted up the score from flight three but fell just short in the third set as Cal Poly took a 2-0 advantage.

Tulane did not back down against the fourth-ranked Mustangs. Trinity Jackson and Molly Trodd fought back at flight one to put the Wave on the board with a three-set win. Both Jackson and Trodd tallied 14 kills in the match while the former recorded three blocks and the latter registered a pair of aces. Shortly after at flight five Amelia Mullen and McKenzie Cutler tied the dual at 2-2 by winning in straight sets. Cutler led the duo with 17 kills against the Mustangs followed by 14 kills from Mullen.

Unfortunately, the Green Wave was unable to complete the upset as Cal Poly picked up the win at flight five to hand Tulane a 3-2 defeat.

To close out the first day of the NOLA Classic the Wave squared off against Southern Miss for the second time this season. Tulane jumped out to the early advantage this time with Cutler and Mullen winning at flight five followed by a win from Jackson and Trodd at flight one. Trodd posted 16 kills while Cutler and Mullen had 12 and 11, respectively. Jackson led the way defensively at the net with seven blocks against the Golden Eagles.

Green and S. Ensign clinched the dual victory for Tulane at flight four coming back to win in three sets. S. Ensign led the duo with 14 kills and five aces against Southern Miss while Green added 13 kills and three aces.

Ultimately, the Green Wave defeated the Golden Eagles 3-2 after Southern Miss tacked on two points with win at flights two and three.

Up next, Tulane will finish the regular season with matchups against UAB at 11 a.m. and Louisiana-Monroe at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Green Wave will also recognize its four seniors – Trinity Jackson, Ainsley Patrick, Savka Popovic, and Lara Torruella – prior to the match against UAB.

Friday Results – April 19
#4 Cal Poly 3, Tulane 2
1. Trinity Jackson/Molly Trodd (Tulane) def. Ella Connor/Izzy Martinez (CP) 10-21, 23-21, 15-12
2. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) def. Sara Hall/Savka Popovic (Tulane) 21-10, 21-14
3. Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) def. Lara Torruella/Sam O'Connor (Tulane) 21-15, 21-11
4. Logan Walter/Piper Naess (CP) def. Skylar Ensign/Samantha Green (Tulane) 21-14, 20-22, 19-17
5. Amelia Mullen/McKenzie Cutler (Tulane) def. Abbey Reinard/Madi Nichols (CP) 21-14, 21-19
(Exh.) Katie Clevenger/Julia Soeller (CP) def. Lauren Mann/Ainsley Patrick (Tulane) 23-21, 21-18
Order of finish: 2,6,4,1,5,3

Tulane 3, Southern Miss 2
1. Jackson/Trodd (Tulane) def. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) 21-15, 26-24
2. Ola Chudzik/Sarah Murezek (USM) def. Popovic/Hall (Tulane) 15-21, 21-19, 15-12
3. Madison Cassidy/Valeria Papakyriakou (USM) def. Torruella/O'Connor (Tulane) 21-19, 19-21, 15-12
4. S. Ensign/Green (Tulane) def. Ashlyn Rough/Dylan Russell (USM) 16-21, 21-17, 15-11
5. Cutler/Mullen (Tulane) def. Jessie Fairly/Carmen Delgado (USM) 21-12, 21-16
(Exh.) Maddy Baldridge/Wiio Meinheit (USM) def. Tara Gaspar/Tawny Ensign (Tulane) 21-16, 17-21, 15-5
Order of finish: 5,1,4,3,6,2

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