Oct. 8, 2004

Final Stats

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Senior middle blocker Deva Fowler had a school-record 16 of the Green Wave's 24.5 blocks, and senior outside hitter Anastasia Kenon posted a team-leading 24 kills, as the Tulane University volleyball team won a marathon outing over Conference USA foe Saint Louis, 3-2, Friday evening at Fogelman Arena.

After splitting the first two games, 30-25 and 28-30, Tulane looked to be in the drivers seat after taking game three, 30-27. The Billikens, however, would not back down, winning game four 31-29 and held match-point four times before the Green Wave clinched the contest with a 20-18 decision.

Fowler's 12 block assists are a C-USA record, and her total block tally ranks third in league history. Not to be overshadowed, the Billikens got a record-breaking performance of their own as SLU middle blocker Aida Antanaviciute set a league record with 45 kills in an eye-popping 112 swings.

"Well, at least we made it exciting for the crowd," head coach Betsy Becker joked. "This match came down to blocking. We out-blocked Saint Louis tonight, and we got some critical blocks down the stretch. You have to give credit to Saint Louis, though, especially Aida Antanaviciute. It was liker our whole team against her. She carried their team tonight, but the difference was that we had an entire team effort."

Kenon led four Tulane players with double-digit kill totals, and with 10 digs for the night, was also one of four Green Wave student-athletes to post a double-double. Freshman right-side hitter Sarah Weiland posted 18 kills and 13 digs, and senior outside hitter Lindsey Norman had 11 kills and 14 digs to her credit.

Fowler added 12 kill to go along with her record-setting blocking effort to post her first double-double of the season. Junior libero Kelli Dickson tied for match-high dig honors with 28.

"We had to battle for every point, and this is a testament to this team's hard work," Becker said. "It came down to emotions and leadership. I'm proud of Deva for blocking and hitting well all night. She knows that teams gameplan to stop her, and despite that, she still scores quality points."

While Antanaviciute scribed her name in the Saint Louis and C-USA record book, the Tulane defense did a solid job of limiting the rest of the Billiken squad. As a team, Saint Louis hit just .160, and the other six players who saw action on Friday night combined for just 38 kills and 25 errors in 113 swings for a .115 attack percentage.

Sutton Lasater and Chrissy King joined Antanaviciute in the double-digit kill column with totals of 12 and 11, respectively. Defensively, Jessica Kmitta paced the Billikens with 28 digs, while Antanaviciute and Lauren Boissevain added 19 each.

The Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Oct. 9, when they take on league foe Memphis at 7 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE. In addition, live stats will once again be provided via Gametracker on the internet at the official website of Tulane Athletics - www.tulanegreenwave.com.