Nov. 15, 2007

C-USA Tournament Central | All-Conference Awards | Miller's Moments: Blog from Huntington
(2) Tulane vs (10) UTEP/ (7) Rice (Friday; 11 am CT): Gametracker | Listen Free | Game Notes

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Tulane Green Wave (26-5 overall), the number two seed, will face the seventh-seeded Rice Owls in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Conference USA Volleyball Championship Friday at 11 a.m. CT. Tulane enters the C-USA tournament riding a nine-match win streak and boasts five All-Conference players, including Libero of the Year Jenn Miller (pictured)

The Owls advanced with a 3-0 win (30-27, 30-17, 30-20) over UTEP in the first round.

Tulane boasts five All Conference USA selections, including three hitters: juniors Sara Radosevic and Bridget Wells and sophomore Ksenija Vlaskovic, all named to the First Team. Middle Blocker Jen Linder and libero Jenn Miller earned second team honors, while Miller picked up Libero of the Year accolades.

Head Coach Liz Kritza was named co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honors with Marshall's Mitch Jacobs.

Tulane swept the season series with the Owls, winning 3-1 in Houston on Oct. 14 and escaping in five at Fogelman Arena on Nov. 2

Tulane is ranked 10th in the NCAA in assists per game, 13th in kills per game, and 18th in hitting percentage, as of Nov. 11, leading Conference USA in each category. The Green Wave's margin over second place in team hitting percentage is .025, meaning Tulane could commit errors on 87 consecutive swings and still lead C-USA.

Tulane boasts three of the top 10 in Conference USA in kills per game: Sara Radosevic (4.81 KPG) ranks fourth, while Ksenija Vlaskovic (4.39) is seventh. Bridget Wells checks in at 10th with 3.70 KPG. In Conference USA only matches, the trio ranks second (Radosevic), sixth (Vlaskovic), and ninth (Wells).

Should Tulane advance, the Green Wave faces either (3) UAB or (6) Houston / (11) Southern Miss at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday. The winner of that semifinal matchup advances to the final at 5 p.m. CT Sunday on CSTV.

Game Notes

RPI Watch: 34 by the Rich Kern simulation (11/11)

Conference USA Quarterfinals
The winner of Friday's match will move on to the semifinals (Saturday, 3 p.m. CT) and face the winner of the second quarterfinal match, which features (3) UAB vs (6) Houston/(11) Southern Miss.

Most C-USA Wins; Highest C-USA Finish
Tulane finished with its highest Conference USA finish and win total in program history, finishing (tied for first) second, with a 14-2 record. Tulane improved upon last season's program best of 11 wins and tied for third finish. The Green Wave received a bye to the quarterfinals for the second-straight year.

C-USA Tournament History
The Green Wave are 9-12 all-time in the C-USA tournament, 2-2 in the new configuration of the conference. Tulane will seek it's first trip to the finals and first tournament championship.

All-Conference Round-Up
Five members of the Tulane volleyball team earned All Conference USA honors Wednesday, as junior outside hitter Sara Radosevic and sophomore outside Ksenija Vlaskovic earned First Team All Conference USA. Junior middle blocker Jen Linder, junior right side Bridget Wells and sophomore libero Jenn Miller earned Second Team honors.

Roll Wave Roll: Nine in a Row
The Green Wave enter the C-USA Tournament on a nine-match win streak. Tulane hasn't lost since October 12 at Houston. Tulane seeks its seventh run of 10 or more wins in school history.

Among Nation's Leaders
Tulane is ranked 10th in the NCAA in assists per game, 13th in kills per game, and 18th in hitting percentage, as of Nov. 11.

Tulane's Coach K: Co-Coach of the Year
Head coach Liz Kritza was named Conference USA co-Coach of the Year in 2007 after guiding the Wave to a 26-5 record entering the C-USA tournament. After leading Tulane through the turbulent 2005 season amid Hurricane Katrina in her first year, the Tulane volleyball alum has posted a 41-16 record the last two seasons, topping Tulane's best C-USA finishes in each year.

School Records In Jeopary
The Green Wave can break school records in five offensive categories, as their previous kills, kills per game, assists, assists per game, and team hitting percentage marks are all on pace to fall in 2007. The Green Wave need: 49 assists (on pace for four games), 134 kills (eight games). Tulane's current pace of 15.66 assists per game would be a school record and a Conference USA record as well.

Miller Milestones
Jenn Miller moved into sixth all-time (1,052) in digs at Tulane on Friday. She also broke her own single-season digs record of 507, with 545 this season. The four-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week is second in C-USA in digs per game.

Climbing the Kill Charts
Junior OH Sara Radosevic is now fifth all-time at Tulane in kills (1,388), passing Jill Fayard (1,380; 1995-1998) Sunday. With her career 5.16 KPG, she could reach Alicia Robertson's (1991-94) career mark (1,963) in 112 games.

Slammin' Sara
Junior OH Sara Radosevic connected for a career-best .450 hitting percentage in Tulane's C-USA finale against UTEP with 21 kills on 40 attempts and just three errors.

Potent Offense
Tulane leads Conference USA in kills per game (17.69) and hitting percentage (.274). The Green Wave's margin over second place in team hitting percentage is .025, meaning Tulane could commit errors on 87 consecutive swings and still lead C-USA.

Conference Killers
Tulane's 17.69 kills per game in 16 Conference USA matches was the second most by a team in a C-USA season in the history of the conference, behind only Louisville's 17.87 mark in 2000.

Triple Threat
Tulane boasts three of the top 10 in Conference USA in kills per game: Sara Radosevic (4.81 KPG) ranks fourth, while Ksenija Vlaskovic (4.39) is seventh. Bridget Wells checks in at 10th with 3.70 KPG. In Conference USA only matches, the trio ranks second (Radosevic), sixth (Vlaskovic), and ninth (Wells). When all three reach double-figures in kills, Tulane is 19-3 with the losses coming to Loyola Marymount, Arizona State and Houston, with Radosevic sitting out in one match (Tulane's win over UL-Lafayette).

Can't Go To This Wells Too Many Times
Junior right side Bridget Wells has posted double-figure kills in 22-straight matches, hitting .300 or better in 17 of her last 19. She reached career-highs with 21 kills at Memphis, and a .667 hitting percentage against McNeese State. She now ranks seventh in C-USA in hitting percentage at .332.

Linder Keeps Slugging
Junior MB Jen Linder, continues to lead C-USA in hitting percentage this season at .412. She led C-USA with a .437 mark in 2006. The Green Wave are 11-1 this season when Linder has 4.0+ attempts per game. The lone loss was to #7 Wisconsin.

All's Wells When Set To Wells
Bridget Wells has found consistency this season, hitting .332 for the season including a mark of .365 in C-USA matches, the second best mark in Conference USA. She's now seventh in hitting pct in C-USA.

Ksenija's Career Match
Sophomore OH Ksenija Vlaskovic posted career-highs in kills with 25 and digs with 19, and she tied her career mark in service aces with four in Tulane's win at Tulsa on CSTV.

Wells Makes The Leap
Junior right side Bridget Wells has improved her hitting percentage by almost 200 full points from her sophomore season to junior season. With a .332 hitting percentage in 2007, Wells has moved into Tulane's top 10 all-time in hitting percentage (minimum 1,000 attacks) with .246 career mark.

NCAA Tournament Tested
Tulane is 4-2 against teams that appeared in the last year's NCAA Tournament: wins over Florida A&M, Colorado, UAB and Stephen F. Austin while falling to Arizona State and No. 10 Wisconsin.

Tournament Tested
Tulane has won a pair of tournaments this season; earning the championship at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic at Fogelman Arena (2-0) and the Domino's Invitational at Sam Houston State (4-0). The Green Wave placed second Crowne Plaza Phoenix Classic (2-1) to host Arizona State, and third at the Loyola Marymount LAX Classic (1-2, with losses to LMU and then #10 Wisconsin).

Radosevic Earns College Volleyball Update National Player of the Week & C-USA Offensive Player of the Week
Junior OH Sara Radosevic averaged 7.00 KPG to be named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week and College Volleyball Update's National Player of the Week on Oct. 22.

Miller Four-Time C-USA Defensive Player of the Week
Soph. libero Jenn Miller earned C-USA Defenisve Player of the Week for the second-straight week and fourth time this season on October 29. She also earned the award on Sept. 17 and Sept. 24.

Do Not Adjust Your Sets
Junior setter Luna Rebrovic ranks fourth all-time at Tulane with 2,432 assists. She trails Katie Case (2001, 03-04), who coached Rebrovic in 2006 as a Tulane assistant and finished her career with 2,769 assists for third. Rebrovic (816) has teamed with Rachel Lindelow (773) to help Tulane lead C-USA with 15.66 APG.

Luna Landing in Top 10 Again
Junior setter Luna Rebrovic is on the cusp of entering the top 10 single-season assist list again. Her 816 assists this season are 94 back of tying her mark of 910 as a freshman. The Green Wave setters are often denied individual accolades due to the 6-2 system Tulane runs, which keeps the setter in the back row and has Rebrovic subbing out with Rachel Lindelow. Rebrovic joined the top 10 in assists in 2005 while the Wave were playing a 5-1 offense (in a season shortened by Hurricane Katrina).

Smokin' Aces
Sara Radosevic is now fourth all-time at Tulane in service aces with 150. Her 65 this season is second on the single-season list, one shy of the 66 by Gina Vaccaro in 1991.

Miller Time and Again Reaches 30 Digs
Jenn Miller has three 30+ digs matches this season: Her 31 against Florida A&M tied for the fifth most in a single-match in Tulane history. She owns the top single-match mark with 35 against Dayton last season. Miller ranks second in C-USA in DPG with 5.24 in 2007.

Unbeaten In Fogelman
Tulane finished with its first undefeated home season at 12-0 this season and has won 13-straight at Fogelman Arena dating back to last year. It is the second longest home win streak in Tulane history.

Tulane Sets Road/Neutral Wins Mark
With Tulane's win at Tulsa, Tulane set a school record with 14 wins on the road or at neutral sites, topping the 13 set by the 2002 team. Tulane won five straight road matches from August 28 to September 1, the third-longest road/neutral streak in school history.

Tulane Equaled Best Start of Season
Tulane's 7-0 start matched its 1994 team for best in school history. The Wave's second seven match win streak is currently active and ranks tied for ninth-longest in school history.

Five All-Conference USA Selections
Soph. libero Jenn Miller was named Libero of the Year and garnered second team accolades after setting a single-season Tulane record in digs for the second straight year. A four-time C-USA Defensive Player of Week award winner, the San Pedro, Calif., native ranks second in the conference in digs per game (5.29). Junior OH Sara Radosevic, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, picked up her third-straight All C-USA First Team nod after leading the conference in service aces (0.62) and ranking fourth in kills (4.81). Radosevic is 24th in the NCAA in KPG, and sits 17th in aces. Sophomore OH Ksenija Vlaskovic , last season's C-USA Freshman of the Year, earns her second-straight First Team honor. She ranks sixth in the conference in kills per game (4.39). The native of Pozarevac, Serbia, has reached 12 or more kills in 29 of Tulane's 31 matches. RS Bridget Wells earns first team honors in her breakout junior campaign. She ranks 10th in C-USA in KPG (3.70) and seventh in hitting percentage, at .332. In Conference matches, Wells was second in C-USA with a .365 mark. Junior MB Jen Linder earned Second Team once again as she leads C-USA in hitting percentage (.412 mark) for the second straight year. Last season, The Green Wave are 11-1 this season when Linder has 4.0+ attempts per game, with the lone loss against #7 Wisconsin.

Academic Excellence As Well
Sophomore libero Jenn Miller and junior defensive specialist Ashley Bernards each earned Conference USA All-Academic honors. Bernards owns a 3.95 GPA in business, while Miller owns a 3.52 GPA in business.

Preseason Prognostication
Sara Radosevic and Jenn Miller were named preseason All-Conference USA as the Green Wave to finish second in C-USA, behind Marshall. The conference's coaches predicted 11 of 12 teams within one slot of their actual finishes, including the top three teams in order.

Sara's Second All-American
Junior OH Sara Radosevic became the first player in Tulane history to earn multiple All-America honors, picking up AVCA All-America Honorable Mention for the second-straight season.

Ksenija Vlaskovic Earns Tulane's Second-Straight C-USA Top Freshman
OH Ksenija Vlaskovic was the 2006 C-USA Freshman of the Year, earning AVCA Midwest Freshman of the Year honors, following Sara Radosevic, who accomplished both feats in 2005.

Momic, Mo' Standouts
Tulane assistant coach Sinisa Momic, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, spearheads the Wave's international recruiting, which has helped Tulane land back-to-back Conference USA and AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year award winners: Sara Radosevic (Zagreb, Croatia) in 2005, and Ksenija Vlaskovic (Pozarevac, Serbia) in 2006, as well as junior setter Luna Rebrovic (Zagreb, Croatia), who ranks fourth all-time in assists at Tulane. Momic, who moved to the U.S. after marrying former Tulane volleyball player Lacey Vicknair, is also a part-time columnist for Croatian volleyball website www.odbojka.hr.

Selection Sunday
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air on ESPNEWS on Sunday, November 25 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Next Up: C-USA Quarterfinals or at LSU
Should Tulane advance, the Green Wave faces either (3) UAB or (6) Houston / (11) Southern Miss at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday. The winner of that semifinal matchup advances to the final at 5 p.m. CT Sunday on CSTV. Tulane will face LSU on Nov. 24.