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Tulsa
Grambling State (Northwestern St. Tournament)
Volleyball Squad Takes Two at Northwestern State Tournament
9/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2002
Natchitoches, La. - The University of Tulsa volleyball squad used balance scoring to easily win its first two matches at the Northwestern State Tournament on Friday afternoon in Natchitoches, La. TU defeated Texas Southern, 3-0 (30-12, 30-12, 30-28) before downing Grambling State, 3-0 (30-28, 30-12, 30-11) as well.
Against Texas Southern, freshman Sam Rutherford led the Hurricane attack with 10 kills while making her first collegiate start. Sophomore Dana Weddle recorded seven kills on nine attacks, marking the second consecutive match with a hitting percentage of .778. Freshman Evyn Bandy recorded 15 assists.
The Hurricane forced the Tigers into 24 hitting errors, while limiting TSU to only 22 kills for a -.020 hitting percentage. That is the lowest hitting percentage for a TU opponent this season. Texas Southern managed only three kills in the first game of the match, then double that total for six in the second game. Tulsa utilized a 41-22 advantage in team kills, in addition to a team hitting percentage of .625 in the second game. The Golden Hurricane also posted 15 service aces, including five from Rutherford.
Tulsa moved to 2-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, as well as improving its winning streak over Louisiana teams to 11, with a 3-0 win over Grambling State. Again TU out hit its opponent, as the Hurricane owned a 51-23 advantage in kills. Weddle led the TU attack this time, with 12 kills. Sophomore Vanessa Thon added 30 assists, while she and Bandy contributed nine digs apiece.
The victory improves TU to 6-1 on the season, as well as extends the Hurricane's mark against Grambling to 3-0. The Hurricane will face its third SWAC opponent of the weekend on Saturday morning, when it faces Alcorn State. Tulsa will face host, Northwestern State, at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
