Volleyball: Tulane falls in final road contest of season at Houston

HOUSTON – Tulane volleyball dropped the final road match of its season Wednesday afternoon at Houston, falling 3-1 (15-25, 20-25, 26-24, 18-25). The Green Wave’s record moves to 14-18 overall, 3-16 The American with the loss.

Tulane could not piece together a consistent offensive attack in the first set, posting a hitting percentage of -.054 with eight errors. Freshman right side hitter Kristen Thompson led with three kills, but Houston jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and Tulane could not mount a comeback, ultimately losing 25-15. Freshman outside hitter Lexie Douglas tallied a set-high seven digs.

Houston strengthened its hold on the match in the second set. While their offense improved, the Green Wave only mustered a hitting percentage of .143, preventing a serious comeback run as Tulane never once led in the set. Douglas, sophomore middle hitter Erika Hansel and junior outside hitter Hannah Shaw each posted three kills, and senior setter Justine Bowers, on the heels of a double-double effort in the win against ECU, had 11 assists.

Freshman right side hitter Markenzie Benoit lifted Tulane from near-defeat in the third to prolong the match. Benoit’s six kills and one block guided the Green Wave, who improved their team attack percentage to .286, to a 26-24 win. After exchanging leads throughout the set, Houston and Tulane were tied at 24 before Benoit’s massive block spurred the Wave to the set win.

Houston sealed the match win in the fourth set. Tulane’s attack cooled off as the team’s attack percentage dropped to .147, and the Green Wave could not use the momentum gained from the third set to further prolong the match. Benoit notched five kills in the set to finish the match with a team-high 11 kills.

Bowers recorded a match-high 41 assists, while Douglas and sophomore Kaylie McHugh each had 13 digs. Shaw fell just shy of a double-double, tallying nine kills and 11 digs.

Up Next
The Green Wave come home for the final time this season Friday, hosting Houston at 1 p.m. to complete the second leg of their back-to-back. A win at Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse Friday will give Tulane a winning record at home in a season for the first time since 2013 when the Green Wave went 28-4 (12-2 at home).

Tickets for the final home match of 2017 season remain on sale. Use promo code “BLACKFRIDAY” to purchase $3 tickets! Tickets may be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE(9283), logging onto TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

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