Tulsa
UAB
Volleyball Defeats UAB, 3-1, at C-USA Championship
11/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2009
Box Score |
Box Score 
HOUSTON - Tyler Henderson slammed 25 kills and Jessica Adams recorded 28 digs to lead The University of Tulsa volleyball team to a 3-1 win (25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21) over UAB Friday afternoon in the first round of the 2009 Conference USA Championship at Rice's Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Golden Hurricane (25-6) advances to the semifinal round to face Tulane at 2 p.m. Saturday. Live stats and live video will be available at www.TulsaHurricane.com, and all C-USA Championship information can be found at www.ConferenceUSA.com. Tulsa and Tulane split the season series, with each team winning on its home floor.
Henderson, the C-USA Freshman of the Year, combined with 2009 C-USA Player of the Year Jennifer Eichler for 40 kills for the Hurricane. Henderson also hit .304 and had four blocks in the match, and Eichler added 13 digs. Junior Hannah Stout had nine kills and four blocks, and sophomore Kelsey Hancock had 16 digs. Sophomore Rachel Vukson tallied 36 assists and freshman Jordan Clampitt contributed 22 assists.
Tulsa hit .250 as a team (62-22-160) with 62 kills, 61 assists, eight service aces, 75 digs and nine blocks. UAB, which ended its season with a 17-16 record, hit .176 in the match (48-21-153) with 48 kills, 45 assists, three service aces, 60 digs and seven blocks.
"Defensively, I felt we could have played a little stronger than what we did. We didn't touch nearly enough balls at the net," Tulsa Head Coach Ed Allen said. "They're a UAB team that played very hard, and played with a little more consistency than what we saw earlier in the year. I'm pleased to get the first match underway and looking forward to the semifinal with Tulane."
Tulsa dominated the first set, winning by 12 points and out-hitting UAB by 256 points - .324 to .068. The Golden Hurricane jumped out to a 9-4 lead, and held a steady five-to-six-point lead, before scoring four in a row to extend its lead to nine points at 17-8. The Hurricane ran off four points in a row on three separate occasions during the set, and cruised to a 25-13 win.
Set two began much closer, and was tied at 6-6 before Tulsa scored three in a row to take a 9-6 lead. UAB pulled to within one point at 10-9, but the Golden Hurricane again pulled away for a 13-9 lead. TU never let the Blazers get closer than three points for the rest of the set, and went on to win by four, 25-21
UAB made a comeback in the third set to win, 25-23. Tulsa had a 7-2 lead early on, but the Blazers pulled to within one at 11-10. The Golden Hurricane once again pulled away, and led 22-17, looking as though it would coast to a sweep, but UAB scored seven of the final eight points to win the set.
Set four featured 12 ties and seven lead changes - the closest of the four frames in the match. Tulsa took a 3-1 lead, but UAB continued its fight back in the match, keeping the score close throughout the set. The Golden Hurricane's largest lead during the set was three points at 9-6, but UAB battled to take over the lead at 13-12. The Blazers held the lead until its largest margin of two points at 20-18. However, TU scored six straight to move ahead 24-20, and scored seven of the final eight points to win the set, 25-21.
"The third game, I felt we thought we had the match won before it was won," Allen said. "We had a four or five point lead with about four or five points to play and we just shut down, so that was a little disappointing. Our freshmen played like freshmen at times. They made such huge strides mentally through the course of the year, we just need them to relax as we push through for a championship."
For all Tulsa volleyball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane. Become a fan of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane page on Facebook - search "Tulsa Golden Hurricane."
