Volleyball: Tulane snaps losing streak in five-set battle at UConn

STORRS, Conn. – Tulane volleyball halted an eight-match losing streak, Friday night at UConn, opening the second half of its conference schedule with a dramatic 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-8) win. Tulane improves to 13-11 overall, 2-9 The American with the victory.

The Green Wave took set one, 25-18, winning the opening frame of a match for the first time since their Sept. 24 win at Tulsa. Sophomore middle hitter Erika Hansel and junior middle hitter Dayna Kern powered Tulane’s attack, recording three kills each. Senior setter Justine Bowers posted 10 assists in the first set.

Sophomore right side hitter Alexis Silver drove Tulane’s offense in the second set, tallying three kills (.400 hit percentage) to help her team attack to an overall clip of .333. The Green Wave, however, could not slow UConn’s offense and dropped the set, 25-22.

Tulane got back on track in the third to win the set, 25-19. Kern and Hansel delivered four kills each, boosting the Green Wave’s attack. Sophomore libero Kaylie McHugh tallied five digs in the set, as she helped hold UConn’s offense to an attack percentage of .175.

A team hit percentage of .069 hindered the Green Wave from putting together a formidable attack in the fourth set. UConn went on to win the set, 25-18, and force a decisive fifth set. Hansel tacked on three kills, while Bowers added nine more assists to her total.

Hansel did not slow her roll in the final frame, helping the Green Wave win the set, 15-8, and seal the match victory by recording three kills (.600 attack percentage). Tulane posted a match-high attack percentage of .450 in the decisive fifth set to hold off UConn.

Hansel finished with a team-high 14 kills (attack percentage of .560), and Bowers posted a match-high 49 assists. McHugh’s 16 digs were both a team-high and match-high.

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“It was a great win on the road,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “This is a young team; we’ve been working hard, and we really deserve this win tonight. It’s like a new season for us, and we started the second round and feel like we’re 1-0. We’re going to build on this, and get this program moving forward like we know we can. It’s a great win, and I’m really proud of the ladies.”

Up Next
Tulane will use Saturday as an off day before playing Temple, 12 p.m., Sunday, in Philadelphia. Temple rides a six-match winning streak, defeating Houston, 3-0, Friday night.

Tickets for remaining home matches are still on sale. 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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