Southern Miss, Tulane Meet In Key Conference Battle
11/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Game Notes
Southern Miss, Tulane Meet In Key Conference Battle
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - With just two weeks remaining before the Conference USA postseason tournament, each and every match left on the schedule becomes even more important.
While both Southern Miss (24-5, 8-2 in Conference USA) and Tulane (23-4, 8-2) have already secured spots in the postseason tournament, a higher seed and possible bye is at stake when the two teams collide in a key league battle this weekend. The Lady Eagles host the Green Wave in the final home match of the season, Saturday, at the USM Payne Center. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
Both programs are currently enjoying one of the better seasons in each schools' respective history.
Southern Miss, under the direction of third-year Head Coach Santiago Restrepo, already has 24 wins on the season, tied for second-most all-time with the 1990 squad. Only the 1986 Lady Eagles have more wins with 26.
The team comes in on a three-match win streak, one that includes a sweep of Charlotte and East Carolina last weekend and a big win at Alabama on Wednesday.
Seniors Bridget Files, Andrea Bush and Nicki Tribble -- who all will play in their final home match of their Southern Miss careers -- continue to lead the Lady Eagles. Files has a team-high 500.5 points and is third in kills with 390. Tribble is tops with 411 kills this season and is second in points (471.5). Bush follows with 450.5 points of her own, including 394 on kills. Setter Amy Truong also has done well, tallying 1,253 assists and a team-high 45 service aces.
Tulane enters with a three-match streak of its own, all 3-0 wins over Southern (La.) University, East Carolina and Charlotte.
Deva Fowler leads the Green Wave with 484 points and 375 kills this season, while Anastasia Kenon is second with 332 kills and 384.5 points. Kim Swafford, the current C-USA Player of the Week, is third with 320.5 points.
This is the second meeting between the two schools this season. Tulane won the earlier contest 3-1 on Sept. 27, in a non-conference match.