Volleyball To Open C-USA Action Friday Against Houston
September 26, 2008
Green Wave look to live up to preseason billing as the favorite to win the league’s regular-season titleSept. 25, 2008
Coach Kritza’s Comments Following Wednesday’s Practice
NEW ORLEANS - Tabbed the preseason favorite to win the 2008 Conference USA championship by a vote a league coaches back in August, the Tulane University volleyball team will get their first opportunity to prove the prognosticators correct as the Green Wave play host to league foe Houston at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena.
The preseason distinction marks the first time the Green Wave have been picked to win the league’s regular-season crown, and Tulane has lived up to its billing in the non-conference portion of its schedule with an 8-4 record to date. The Wave have won their last six matches, including a five-set victory over then-No. 14 Middle Tennessee State on Sunday in Cincinnati.
“We’re excited, especially coming off our performance from last week,” Tulane head coach Liz Kritza said. “I think it was good for this team and their confidence level. One of the things that everyone talked about early on was being the preseason favorite to win the conference. We knew that during the preconference portion of our schedule, we had a lot of work to do. We went out and tested ourselves more than any other conference opponent. I think there is a level of confidence and a feeling that we need to go out and prove it every single day.
“In every conference match that we have, we need to prove that we deserve that No. 1 ranking. I think these kids understand that and I think that they are ready. I have seen good improvement in the last couple of weeks of practice and clearly in the last three matches. I think they are ready to defend their home floor this weekend against both Houston and Rice, and also to start establishing that we are the No. 1 team in Conference USA as well as the region.”
As a team, the Green Wave enter Friday’s C-USA opening match against Houston averaging 13.36 kills, 12.50 assists, 14.34 digs and 1.84 blocks per game. Senior outside hitter Sara Radosevic leads the squad with 3.43 kills per game, junior Jenn Miller paces the club with 3.76 digs per contest, and senior middle blocker Jen Linder headlines the team with 0.86 blocks per outing.
Tulane is hitting .209 (588-268-1533) on the young season while allowing opponents to attack at a .179 clip (513-247-1482). Green Wave opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 11.66 kills, 10.86 assists, 13.43 digs and 2.95 blocks per game so far in 2008.
“Over the last two weekends, I think (the team has) gotten a better sense of what this team is about and where we need to improve,” Kritza said. “They have also picked up the ability to just close out a game - to just be stubborn not to lose that last point and pick up big points when we need it. These kids have learned how to win in the last couple of weeks and they will need to rely on that.
“There are going to be times when we are playing and teams are coming after us, they just need to rely on the fact that if they push 100 percent, play hard and stay in system, then they are going to win. I think that confidence level that they have gained in the last few weeks will help them more than they will ever realize.”
Houston, meanwhile, comes to town 7-5 on the season and riding the high of a four-match winning streak, including a straight-sets win over Sam Houston State on Tuesday night at the UH Athletics/Alumni Center.
As a team, the Cougars are averaging 12.60 kills, 11.70 assists, 11.77 digs and 2.15 blocks per set. Justine Farmer paces Houston with 3.60 kills per set, Amanda Carson leads the club with 2.81 digs per set, and Erin Rice headlines the front-row defense with 1.17 blocks per stanza.
Houston is hitting .239 (592-243-1460) for the year while limiting opponents to a .204 clip (527-237-1419). Cougar opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 11.21 kills, 10.04 assists, 10.94 digs and 2.10 blocks per set.
“Houston has a strong tradition in Conference USA,” Kritza said. “They are right up there with anybody as far as tournament appearances go. (Cougar’s head coach) Bill Walton has been there for a while and has done a good job of building his program. You can always count on a Houston team to be able to play volleyball properly. He does a good job of training his players, and depending on the make-up of his team year in and year out, we match up differently against them.”
Friday’s match between Tulane and Houston marks the 28th meeting between the two teams, and the Cougars hold a commanding 22-5 advantage in the all-time series. Under Kritza, Tulane is 1-6 vs. Houston. Tulane won the last meeting between the two programs, 30-24, 30-15, 30-20, on Nov. 4, 2007, in Fogelman Arena.
“With any opponent, especially with Houston because of our history with them, we need to respect every opponent and take the attitude that this is the most important match of the season,” Kritza added. “In years past, Houston has done a good job of making our best offensive players carry a load and I fully expect them to do that again. I expect them to make Sara (Radosevic) handle the ball and I expect them to go after our freshmen on the court. We are preparing them for that. We just have to stay within our system and not rely on a single player or two to carry us through it. Our system is stronger than theirs and we need to stay within it.”
Following Tulane’s Conference USA opener against Houston, the Green Wave continue a two-match homestand on Sunday, Sept. 28, when they play host to league foe Rice at 1 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. From there, Tulane will hit the road for its next four matches as the Wave will play at Memphis, at UAB, at Tulsa and at SMU on Oct. 3, Oct. 5, Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, respectively.
For ticket information to this weekend’s matches, as well as future Green Wave Athletics competitions, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE. Tickets can be purchased over the phone, via the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com, or in person on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr., Center.
PRE-MATCH BLOCK PARTY: The Tulane University Department of Athletics will hold a block party in front of Fogelman Arena on Friday, Sept. 26, prior to the start of the Green Wave’s Conference USA-opening match against Houston. The block party will run from 5-7 p.m. and will feature a DJ and $1 drinks and popcorn. The $1 concessions will also be available in the arena during the match, and the first 500 students in attendance will receive a free t-shirt.
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