The Green Wave has won eight of its last nine matches -- many in dominant fashion -- and will look to use that momentum against some ranked foes this weekend.
It's been a pretty solid few weeks for the Tulane Green Wave women's beach volleyball program.
The Green Wave has won eight of its last nine matches dating back to March 13th, with the lone loss coming in a 4-1 decision against the eighth-ranked Loyola Marymount Lions. It swept the Bayou Beach Duals at White Sands Volleyball Courts in New Orleans, winning 23 of 25 sets played in the two-day event.
Tulane also had a strong showing over the weekend at the ASICS Classic in Malibu, California. The Olive Green and Sky Blue took down the Pepperdine Waves by a score of 3-2 and swept the Vanguard University Lions with a 5-0 win. After dropping the third match of the weekend to Loyola Marymount, the team bounced back with a decisive 3-2 win over the Concordia University Irvine Golden Eagles.
As it stands now, the Green Wave is 14-8 on the year, though four of those losses have come against ranked opponents. The program now turns its attention to another big weekend, which features some of the toughest competition yet.
Tulane is set to head to the Longhorn Classic, hosted by the Texas Longhorns, this weekend. The Green Wave starts its competition on Friday in a 10 a.m. showdown with the Houston Christian University Huskies -- a team it has already defeated once this year. The afternoon match takes place against the third-ranked Longhorns, then the program will face another ranked opponent in the No. 19 Washington Huskies on Saturday morning. Tulane is currently slated to play a second match on Saturday, though the time and opponent is not yet determined.
While the Green Wave's schedule has been difficult, the team has undoubtedly found success -- and even in losses, the program has grown from the opportunity to face off against some of the nation's best teams. With how well the team has been playing lately, it's not too far fetched to say that some ranked opponents should be on upset alert moving forward.
Tulane has two more weekends of invitational tournaments to play, concluding with its NOLA Classic beginning on April 17th. Postseason play heats up from there. As a member of Conference USA for women's beach volleyball, the Green Wave will participate in the league championship tournament from April 23rd-April 25th. The team is currently tied for the third-most wins in the league.
From there, the top teams in the country will face off in the NCAA Championships, held in Gulf Shores, Alabama, from May 1st-May 3rd.