Volleyball: Tulane upended by UCF in four-set match

NEW ORLEANS – Junior middle hitters Hannah Shaw and Dayna Kern paced the offense with double digit kills, but Tulane volleyball dropped its eighth consecutive match, Sunday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse, losing 3-1 (12-25, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25) to UCF. The Green Wave fall to 12-11 overall, 1-9 The American.

Kern continued her tear on the heels of her 11 kill performance against USF, Friday night, tallying three kills in the opening set, but Tulane fell, 25-12. Shaw also added three kills, but the Green Wave combined for an overall attack percentage of -.034, committing 10 attack errors in the process. Senior setter Justine Bowers recorded nine assists.

Tulane showed more firepower in the second set, improving its hit percentage, but UCF fought off the attack to win, 25-20. Shaw took her game to another level, recording seven kills (attack percentage of .429) in the set, while Kern added three.

The Green Wave pulled out a gritty win in the third set, 25-23, to prolong the match. Tulane exchanged points with UCF before knotting it up at 20 apiece. From there, the Wave went on a 5-3 run, capped by Kern’s powerful kill, to close out the set.

Attacking to a clip of .343, UCF sealed the match win in the fourth set, 25-23. Shaw finished with a team-high 16 kills (attack percentage of .350), while Kern tacked on 14 kills. Benoit recorded 11 kills (.318 attack percentage) and Bowers posted a match-high 44 assists, while sophomore libero Kaylie McHugh tallied a team-high 17 digs.

Up Next
The Green Wave roll north, heading to UConn and Temple to complete the season series. Tulane lost, 3-1 and 3-1, against Temple and UConn, respectively, earlier this season at Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Season ticket packages for the 2017 season remain 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.

Follow Tulane volleyball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.