Tulane Volleyball Travels To Play Marshall, East Carolina
Green Wave look to improve on 10-6 overall record and 5-2 showing in C-USA action over the weekend
NEW ORLEANS – Sometimes, just getting there is half the battle.
For the Tulane University volleyball team, its weekend travel schedule was delayed due to U.S. President Barrack Obama’s visit to the Crescent City forced a delay in at the New Orleans International Airport. The battle of improving on a 10-6 overall record and a 5-2 showing in Conference USA action, however, remains on schedule as the Green Wave will take on league foes Marshall and East Carolina on the road over on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
“We missed our connection in Atlanta, and we were planning on getting to Marshall and having a decent practice tonight,” first-year Tulane head volleyball coach Sinisa Momic said. “Well, that’s out of the question now. We probably won’t get to the hotel until 11. So there’s been a change of plans.
“(The airline) actually split us into two groups and the second group isn’t leaving here until 8. We just want to get to bed and then tomorrow, we’ll scout and practice and then play a match at 7. We’ll try and make the most out of it. What can you do?”
As a team, the Green Wave head to Marshall averaging 13.48 kills, 12.61 assists, 15.52 digs and 1.95 blocks per set. Sophomore outside hitter Visnja Djurdjevic leads the squad with 4.36 kills per set, while senior setter Rachel Lindelow has a team-best 10.88 assist-per-set average. Senior libero Jenn Miller paces the club with 4.08 digs per contest and junior middle blocker Lindsey Shepard headlines the team with 1.02 blocks per outing.
Tulane is hitting .217 (863-346-2382) on the season while allowing opponents to attack at a .202 clip (790-329-2277). Green Wave opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 12.34 kills, 11.59 assists, 16.25 digs and 2.34 blocks per set so far in 2009.
“We practiced well this week and I expect us to play better and better as the season goes on,” Momic said. “Our goal coming into the year was to get better with each match and be playing our best when we get to the conference tournament.
“Everybody needs to show up and we all need to play well. There’s no room for errors that we were making in the past. Everyone has scouted us enough to know our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to show up, stick with the gameplan and execute it well. From now on, there won’t be any room for mistakes.”
Marshall enters the weekend 16-4 on the year, 4-2 in C-USA play and looking to build on a 3-0 win at Memphis on Sunday. The win over the Tigers snapped a two-match skid as the Thundering Herd dropped a pair of four-match sets their previous two outings at Tulsa and at SMU.
As a team, the Herd are averaging 13.97 kills, 12.67 assists, 15.95 digs and 1.78 blocks per set. Emily Sullivan paces Marshall with 3.21 kills per set while Elizabeth Fleming averages 10.96 assists per stanza. Ryanne Milligan leads the team with 3.67 digs per set and Sullivan headlines the front-row defense with 0.74 blocks per set.
Marshall is hitting .226 (1020-403-2736) for the year while holding its opponents to a .168 clip (846-409-2599). Thundering Herd opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 11.59 kills, 10.53 assists, 15.73 digs and 1.90 blocks per set.
“They’re having a pretty good year,” Momic said of Marshall. “They’re only losses are to SMU and Tulsa, but both of those matches could have gone either way. They’re probably one of the best teams in the conference right now. We have to prepare as best as we can and expect a very strong team.
“We’re on the road so we have to be serious and take care of business no matter who we play. We’ve got to take it one match at a time, prepare for Marshall and we won’t think about ECU until after that’s over. We’ll get there on Saturday and prepare for that match then.”
Friday’s match marks just the fifth time that Tulane and Marshall will meet on the volleyball court, and the all-time series is tied at two wins each. The last time the Green Wave played in Huntington, W.Va., they dropped a 3-0 decision on Oct. 5, 2007, but Tulane bounced back a year later to post a 3-0 win of its won on Sept. 19, 2008 in Fogelman Arena.
Following the Marshall contest, the Green Wave return to action on Sunday, Oct. 18, when they travel to Greenville, N.C., for an 11 a.m. (CDT) showdown with East Carolina. From there, Tulane returns home for an Oct. 23 contest with UAB at 8 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE.
COACH MOMIC’S COMMENTS HEADING INTO THE MARSHALL/EAST CAROLINA WEEKEND
On the implications of Thursday’s travel situation
“We missed our connection in Atlanta, and we were planning on getting to Marshall and having a decent practice tonight. Well, that’s out of the question now. We probably won’t get to the hotel until 11. So there’s been a change of plans. (The airline) actually split us into two groups and the second group isn’t leaving here until 8. We just want to get to bed and then tomorrow, we’ll scout and practice and then play a match at 7. We’ll try and make the most out of it. What can you do?”
On Friday’s opponent, the Marshall Thundering Herd
“They’re having a pretty good year. They’re only losses are to SMU and Tulsa, but both of those matches could have gone either way. They’re probably one of the best teams in the conference right now. We have to prepare as best as we can and expect a very strong team.”
On playing East Carolina on Sunday
“We’re on the road so we have to be serious and take care of business no matter who we play. We’ve got to take it one match at a time, prepare for Marshall and we won’t think about ECU until after that’s over. We’ll get there on Saturday and prepare for that match then.”
On his team’s ability to bounce back on Sunday after a tough loss to Southern Miss on Wednesday
“It was a good match, a good comeback after a loss. We practiced well this week and I expect us to play better and better as the season goes on. Our goal coming into the year was to get better with each match and be playing our best when we get to the conference tournament.”
On the overall state of his team
“Things are coming together. We got a nice lift off the bench last week, and they gave us a little bit more depth and a little more room to come up with different strategies and line-ups. We now have the ability to play more people, so we should be good to go.”
On the keys to a successful weekend
“Everybody needs to show up and we all need to play well. There’s no room for errors that we were making in the past. Everyone has scouted us enough to know our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to show up, stick with the gameplan and execute it well. From now on, there won’t be any room for mistakes.”
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