Tulsa
East Carolina
Tulsa Volleyball Opens C-USA Play With 3-2 Win
9/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 21, 2007
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa volleyball squad didn't look like it would need five games to win its Conference USA opener, but the Hurricane had to rebound after winning the first two games for a 3-2 (30-19, 30-24, 24-30, 22-30, 15-10) victory over East Carolina.
Senior Fabiola Nepomuceno led the Golden Hurricane attack with a career-best 29 kills. She led a trio of Hurricane hitters with double-digits kill performances. Freshman Emma Ridley posted 16 kills, while junior Renee Brooks contributed 12 kills. Senior Julia Silva posted her 14th double-double of the year with 64 assists and 15 digs.
The Hurricane defense was led by four players with double-figures in digs. Junior Malorey Grove finished with 26 digs, while freshman Nicole Boyle and junior Kelsey Wood had 17 and 11 digs respectively. TU also limited National Player of the Week Kelley Wernert to a .181 hitting percentage, after she posted a .325 percentage and 6.08 kills per game average last week.
Tulsa won the first two games using a 42-24 advantage in kills, as well as a .349-.110 advantage in hitting percentage. The tide of momentum definitely turned during the break, however, as ECU out hit TU .240-.130 to tie the match at 2-2. The Hurricane regrouped in the final stanza making the most of a 13-5 advantage in kills to out hit the Pirates .545-.188. For the match, TU held ECU to .180 hitting, extending its streak to 14 consecutive matches in which an opponent has failed to reach the .200 plateau.
Tulsa (13-3) will hit the road for a Sunday afternoon match at Marshall in Huntington, W. Va., at 12 noon.
