Hurricane Volleyball Set For Showdowns at Houston and Tulane
10/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2014
TULSA, Okla. - The University of Tulsa volleyball team (13-8, 5-5 AAC) will conclude its four-match road trip when it takes on the Houston Cougars (11-11, 3-7 AAC) on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7:00 p.m., followed by a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana for a battle against the Tulane Green Wave (5-17, 3-7 AAC) Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1:00 p.m.
Just three weeks ago, Tulsa topped both the Green Wave and Cougars in the confines of the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
The Hurricane kicked off the weekend, topping Tulane in four sets, (25-15, 25-20, 16-25, 25-16), as Erica Bohannon led the attack with 13 kills. The win marked the first American Athletic Conference victory in program history.
Against Houston, the match was pushed to five sets before the Hurricane prevailed (25-16, 27-29, 23-25, 25-14, 15-12), as Valerie El Houssine had a career-day recording 21 kills and 21 digs.
Since that weekend, Tulsa has won three of the next four matches, including sweeps over East Carolina and UConn.
The Hurricane will have a bitter taste going into the weekend after Temple topped TU in four sets in its most recent match. The loss snapped Tulsa's five-match win streak, the longest such streak of the season.
The Cougars have gone 2-2 since its meeting with the Hurricane, topping UConn in five sets and USF in four. Houston's losses came against Temple and UCF, two of the top three teams in The American.
Kadi Kullerkann, a junior outside hitter for the Cougars, sits atop of the conference with 455 kills (5.11 kills/set), 136 more than any other player in The American.
Houston's Keandra McCardell has played a big role in Kullerkann's success, as she has averaged 10.84 assists per set (824 total), the second highest average in the conference.
Including its last match with Houston, the Hurricane is 12-6 against the Cougars.
Tulane has had its share of struggles since taking on TU the first time this year, posting a 1-4 record. In its last three matches, the Green Wave have been swept by Temple, South Florida, and UCF. Its lone win came in a five-set marathon against UConn.
The Green Wave rank either last or second to last in every team statistical category besides blocks, where they rank third with 2.20 blocks per set (173.5 blocks/set).
Sarah Strasner (1.05 blocks/ set) and Anna Wruck (1.01 blocks/set) have been the key contributors to Tulane's defense, recording the fourth and fifth most blocks per set in The American.
The series between Tulsa and Tulane has been nearly even, with the Green Wave holding a slim 12-11 record all time.
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