Tulane Volleyball Splits Pair of Weekend Matches

The Tulane Green Wave saw its month-long 10-match win streak come to an end on Friday, but the team bounced back in a big way to end the weekend victorious.

Tulane took a tough five-set loss to the Florida Atlantic Owls on Friday for its first American Conference loss of the year. The Green Wave opened things up with a 25-21 win in the first set, but a pair of losses in the second and third sets would put the team behind. The team stormed back in the fourth set with a 25-19 victory to knot the match up at two sets apiece and force a decisive fifth set. Unfortunately for Tulane, the team just couldn't maintain the necessary momentum, and it ultimately dropped set five by a score of 15-9. 

Even in defeat, several players put up impressive numbers against a strong Owls squad. Lauryn Mack led the way with a team-high 17 kills, while Avery Burks finished in double figures as well with 11 kills. Riley Tucker and Maddy McLin combined for 17 kills and six blocks, while Charlee Solomon did a bit of everything with 41 assists, 11 digs, five kills and two blocks. Defensively, Makena Lim had 12 digs and a career-high six aces. Mack added 11 digs. 

Battling through adversity, Tulane then continued its road trip in the Sunshine State as it faced the South Florida Bulls. The rustiness continued for the Green Wave heading into the match, and the team dropped its first set 25-16. That score would flip in the second set, and the visiting squad would claim the win to knot the match up at one set apiece. The Bulls stormed back with a decisive third-set victory to take the advantage, but Tulane pulled through in a gutsy fourth set, winning 28-26. Facing its second fifth set in three days, the Green Wave would dominate South Florida, winning 15-8 to claim the match victory. 

Mack posted a career-high 23 kills and had 15 digs in the win, while Burks was close behind with 16 kills and 12 digs. McLin had nine kills, and Solomon, Riley Tucker and Millie Burgess each had seven. Additionally, Solomon had 52 assists and 13 digs. Lim continued her weekend of personal bests as she posted a career-high 27 digs.

The Green Wave is now 15-3 on the year with a 7-1 mark in American Conference play. Up next, the team will take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for Leukemia Awareness Night. The match is set to begin on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.