Tulsa Volleyball Looks to Win Pivotal Conference Matches at Houston, Tulane This Weekend

Match Notes
TULSA, Okla. - The Tulsa volleyball team will look to win two pivotal American Athletic Conference matches this weekend, as the Golden Hurricane head to Houston and Tulane. The Golden Hurricane face the Cougars on Friday at 7 p.m. They will then conclude their four-game road trip in New Orleans against the Green Wave on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Head coach Ryan Wills has guided the Golden Hurricane to a 13-10 overall record and 6-4 mark in The American. In six seasons at TU, he has led the Golden Hurricane to a 103-78 overall record.

This weekend's matches will stand as notable wins for all three teams, as just two games separate the top four teams in the western division. The Cougars (14-11, 8-2) stand atop the West standings, while the Green Wave (16-7, 6-4) and Golden Hurricane are tied for third. SMU (14-6, 7-3) ranks second.

This is the second time Tulsa has played Houston and Tulane this season. The Golden Hurricane and Cougars played to four sets on October 13, with Houston prevailing [26-28, 24-26, 25-22, 23-25]. The contest could have gone either way, as the two teams combined for 38 ties and 22 lead changes. Tulsa defeated the Green Wave in four sets on October 11 [25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 30-28], and currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Tulane.

The Cougars have been the surprise team in the conference this season, as they were picked to finish 10th in the preseason coaches' poll. A year ago, Houston finished 17-16 overall and 4-14 in The American. In his first season at Houston, head coach David Rehr has helped the Cougars double their conference win total from the 2018 campaign. He has posted a winning record in seven of eight years as a head coach, compiling a 162-91 overall mark.

Houston heads into the weekend having lost two of its last three contests. However, the two losses came against Cincinnati and UCF, the top two in the American eastern division.

Following the first matchup at Donald W. Reynolds Center, Tulsa leads the all-time series over Houston, 20-8, and has won 18 of the last 20 matches overall.

Tulsa will look to upset Tulane in its home gym on Sunday. The Green Wave have been a force to deal with at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse over the last two seasons. They have posted a 24-6 record at home. They are 6-4 in New Orleans this year, but all four losses were decided in five sets.

Fourth-year head coach Jim Barnes led Tulane to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) match last season. He has posted a 77-49 record at Tulane and is 421-317 in 23 seasons as a head coach.

Tulsa leads the all-time series 17-15, and has won three straight over the Green Wave.

To keep up with the latest news on Tulsa volleyball, visit TulsaHurricane.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Tulsa Volleyball Looks to Win Pivotal Conference Matches at Houston, Tulane This Weekend

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