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Volleyball To Open Sugar Bowl Classic Thursday At UNO
Sept. 9, 2009 Coach Momic's Comments Prior To Start Of The Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University volleyball team returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 10, when the Green Wave open play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic against intra-city rival University of New Orleans at 7 p.m. across town at the Lakefront Arena. The match will be one of three contests for Tulane over the weekend as the team will open the home portion of its 2009 schedule on Friday when it battles LSU at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena before closing out tourney play on Saturday at home against Long Beach State at 8 p.m. Friday's match against LSU will be a special day for the Tulane program as the team will raise a pair of banners celebrating the 2008 Conference USA Championship and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. "That is going to make the whole day exciting," first-year head coach Sinisa Momic said of Friday's pre-match festivities. "It's a historical day for Tulane volleyball. Playing our first match at home after winning the conference championship last year, we need to present our well and let everyone know that we still have quality and will still be a quality program. Raising those banners will make all the alumni and the people who were involved with the program before proud. They deserve it. They deserve to see that for the first time. Hopefully, it will motivate the team to play well." But before any banners are raised, the Green Wave will play a much-improved UNO squad that enters the tournament 4-2 on the year, including a 3-0 showing last week to win the Radisson New Orleans Airport Privateer Invitational. The Green Wave enter the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic 1-2 on the year after their first weekend of the 2009 season at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, La. Tulane opened the year with a 3-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette last Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center before falling in straight sets to No. 6 Nebraska and host LSU on Saturday.
As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 11.67 kills, 16.11 digs and 1.33 blocks per set. Sophomore outside hitter Visnja Djurdjevic and senior outside hitter Ksenija Vlaskovic lead the squad with 3.22 kills per set, senior libero Jenn Miller paces the club with 4.89 digs per contest, and junior middle blocker Lindsey Shepard headlines the team with 0.78 blocks per outing. Tulane is hitting .160 (105-52-332) on the young season while allowing opponents to attack at a .224 clip (112-42-313). Green Wave opponents, meanwhile, are averaging 12.44 kills, 16.89 digs and 2.39 blocks per game so far in 2009. UNO, meanwhile, enters the tournament riding an eight-match home winning streak dating back to last season. Tulane is 59-23 all-time against the Privateers, including wins in the two team's last eight meetings. Momic, however, expects the 2009 UNO squad to be a formidable opponent on Thursday night. "We've played UNO every year at least once and they're always tough," he said. "This year, I think they're much better than they've been in the past. It's going to be tough. We're not taking them lightly or thinking this is going to be an easy win. They've got a lot of talented players, both international and domestic. They are one of three very tough teams that we're going to play this weekend." After Thursday's match on the Lakefront, Tulane returns to Fogelman Arena for the last two games of the Sugar Bowl Classic, marking the eight time in the last 10 years the event has been played on the Green Wave's campus. Since the inception of the Sugar Bowl Classic, the Green Wave are 13-7 in tournament play. Tulane has won at least two matches in Sugar Bowl Classic on five occasions, including a 3-0 sweep in 2002, a 2-0 showing in 2007 and a 3-0 performance last season. "I think we're much improved from last week, but I'm really looking for continual improvement from match to match," Momic said. "We need to be more consistent and more stable. By devising a stable line-up, we have a better picture of how to play. Now it's a case of everyone understanding their job and doing better at it every time that we have a chance to play." Tickets to the Friday and Saturday's Allstate Sugar Bowl matches are currently on sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at a daily price of $6 for adults and $4 for youths. A tournament pass may also be purchased for $15, which will give fans access to all five matches at Fogelman Arena. There will be three tickets valid for the weekend: one for Friday's contests between UNO and Long Beach State at 4 p.m. and the Tulane/LSU match at 7 p.m., one for Saturday morning's match between Long Beach State and LSU at 11 a.m., and one for Saturday evening's matches between UNO and LSU at 4 p.m. and the Tulane/Long Beach State finale at 8 p.m. Gates open one hour prior to each match and all Tulane football season-ticket holders will have an opportunity purchase tickets at 50 percent discount. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Tulane Ticket Office on the first floor of the James W. Wilson Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., over the phone at 504-861-WAVE or via the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com. Tickets can also be purchased at Fogelman Arena on the day of the match. Fans are invited to park throughout the weekend and the 2009 season free of charge in the Loyola Parking Garage, which is located on Freret Street just across from Fogelman Arena. |
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