Tulsa Opens NIVC Tournament with Four-Set Win over UC Davis

Wednesday, December 4

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 pm CT

Tulsa

16-15,8-8AAC

UC Davis

17-13,9-7Big West

Tulsa

UC Davis

Photo by: Doug DeFelice

Tulsa Opens NIVC Tournament with Four-Set Win over UC Davis

12/4/2019 10:24:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Tulsa volleyball team snapped its four-game losing streak and kept the 2019 campaign alive with a four-set win over UC Davis [20-25, 25-13, 26-24, 25-20] in the first round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The Golden Hurricane (16-15, 8-8 The American) played their first round match at Walter Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State.

After the Aggies (17-13, 9-7 Big West) won the opening set, the Golden Hurricane rallied to win the final four sets, including a nail-biting third game. The win marks Tulsa's first postseason victory since 2011.

After falling in the opening set, the Golden Hurricane responded with a strong performance in the second set. Trailing 3-2, the Golden Hurricane tallied seven straight points for a 9-3 lead. Dilara Gedikoglu, Maggie Hembree, and Maddie Rhoder each tallied a kill. Hembree then knocked down a UC Davis attack and would also combine for a stuff block with Rhoder. Taylor Horsfall capped the run off with one of two service aces in the set.

The Golden Hurricane run extended to TU scoring on 15 of 18 serves to go ontop, 17-6. Gedikoglu added three more kills, while Callie Cook and Hannah Overmyer connected on a pair of swings. Horsfall captured set point for TU with her second service ace in the match, as part of a 3-0 run to end the set. The 12-point advantage was Tulsa's largest in the game.

Tulsa carried the momentum from the second set into the third game, as the Golden Hurricane never trailed. They led by as much as seven points on three occasions. Leading 21-14, the Aggies made a late comeback, forcing a tie at 23 apiece. But the Golden Hurricane took advantage of three UC Davis to take a 2-1 set lead.

The Aggies led by as much as two points at 5-3 in the fourth set, but the Golden Hurricane reclaimed the lead and never relinquished it. UC Davis cut the deficit to two at 18-16, but that was as close as it would get the rest of the match.

Head coach Ryan Wills credited the second set performance as one of the keys to winning the match.

"Our offense started to be more efficient," Wills said. "That allowed our defense to work and keep us in the match."

Wills also praised the competition in The American as a factor in helping the Golden Hurricane prepare for a tough Aggie team that rode into the match on a three-game winning streak.

The Golden Hurricane finished with a .156 hitting percentage (43 kills, 21 errors, 141 total attempts), while UC Davis was held to a .082 attacking clip (45 kills, 33 errors, 157 total attempts).

Tulsa edged UC Davis in digs (66-65) and service aces (6-5), while also leading 15-8 in total blocks.

Gedikoglu led the way for TU. She posted a team-high 10 kills, to go with 17 digs for her 16th double-double of the season. Horsfall also chipped in 17 digs, while tying her career-high of four service aces. Mariah Pardo led the Golden Hurricane with 15 assists, while Roosa Rautio added 13 dimes.

Defensively, Cook and Hembree each recorded three solo blocks. Cook finished with six total blocks, while Hembree tallied 4.5. Rhoder finished with 3.5 blocks (seven block assists).

The Golden Hurricane will square off against the winner of Santa Clara (20-11, 10-8 WCC) at Long Beach State (12-16, 9-7 Big West) in Long Beach on Thursday. First serve is set for 9 p.m. CT.

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