Saturday, December 8, Results:
Box Score | Notes | NIVC Bracket | Conference Stats
Tulane 3, College of Charleston 1 | NIVC Semifinals
After dropping the first set, Tulane (29-8, 13-5) battled back to win the final three frames and earn its first trip to a postseason championship with a 3-1 victory over the College of Charleston (24-12, 11-5 CAA) in the semifinals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship on Saturday night.
The Green Wave will face Iowa State (20-13, 9-7 Big 12) in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET in the NIVC Championship.
Sophomore outside hitter Lexie Douglas led the team with 14 kills and only one error, hitting .542 in the four-set victory. Senior middle hitter Dayna Kern and freshman middle hitter Kayla Dinkins also recorded double-digit kills in the win, tallying 13 and 11 while hitting .235 and .667, respectively. Kern and Dinkins not only dominated on the offensive end of the court, but also totaled five and four blocks each for a strong defensive effort.
Freshman outside hitter Makala Heidelberg also tallied double-digit digs in the match, earning 13 while also adding seven kills and five blocks. Sophomore setter Jenna Ibieta earned a double-double, totaling 28 assists to lead the Green Wave while also adding 10 digs.
The first team in the American Athletic Conference to advance to the final round of the NIVC, Tulane is now 29-8 overall and finished its 2018 campaign with an 18-2 record at home—the most home victories recorded in American history. This is only the third season in program history that the Green Wave have won 29 matches, and the first time since 1987 that the team has won 18 home matches. The 29 wins ties The American’s record, as Wichita State reached that total in 2017.
Picked to finish 10th in The American’s preseason coaches’ poll, Tulane clinched third place in the conference’s standings in 2018 and earned one of seven automatic bids to the NIVC. The Green Wave takes a six-match winning streak into Tuesday’s championship match. Iowa State booked its trip to the final with a 3-1 win over UNLV.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, December 11 | NIVC Championship
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Tulane |
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Iowa State |
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7:30 p.m. ET |
Ames, Iowa |