University of North Texas
9-7,3-0AAC
Tulane
4-11,0-3AAC
Volleyball Defeats Tulane in Four Sets
9/24/2023 5:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Head coach Kristee Porter leads North Texas to first 3-0 conference start since 2013
NEW ORLEANS – UNT volleyball captured a 3-1 victory at Tulane on Sunday at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. The win marks the first 3-0 start to conference play since 2013.
"This weekend was a tough test for our team, but I was proud of our resilience throughout the matches," head coach Kristee Porter said. "[Our resilience] is something that we knew we needed to improve after the non-conference schedule."
North Texas (9-7, 3-0) extended its five-match winning streak to set the longest spell of Porter's tenure in Denton. The Mean Green claimed its first four-set match of the season (25-20, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19) over the Green Wave (4-11, 0-3).
"We had stellar play from several players this weekend," Porter added. "Aryn [Johnson] hit almost .500 tonight while also contributing 13 digs. I thought she was a big reason we were able to get the win today. Our middles have been consistently playing well. Overall, I thought it was a balanced effort."
Junior Aryn Johnson collected her first double-double of the season with a match-high 14 kills on 28 attacks (.464 hitting percentage) and 13 digs.
Anyse Smith set season-high marks with 11 kills, 23 attacks and four digs while she matched her career high with four blocks.
Middle blocker Truli Levy recorded a season best 12 kills on 25 attacks for a .360 hitting percentage. Over the past six matches, she is hitting .513 with 46 kills and 76 attacks. Levy added four blocks in the match.
Sh'Diamond Holly extended her efficiency with a match high .643 attack rate on 10 kills and 14 attempts. She pushed her American Athletic Conference lead for hitting percentage to .464 for the season, nearly 40 points ahead of second place.
Libero Aleeyah Galdeira tallied double-digit digs for the seventh consecutive match with 18 and added five assists.
UP NEXT
The Mean Green welcome Tulsa to the North Texas Volleyball Center on Thursday at 6 p.m. for a conference showdown on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
