We apologize for any delays in posting recaps from the tournament due to the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. There will be no live stats available for this tournament.
HOUSTON – The University of New Orleans volleyball team will play the first of two tournaments on their slate this year when they visit Texas Southern over the weekend.
UNO (0-1) has been stationed in Houston due to Hurricane Isaac after falling to Lamar 3-0 in Beaumont on Tuesday night. The Privateers will face TSU at 3 p.m. on Friday followed by a 5 p.m. match the same day against Mississippi Valley State.
The tournament concludes on Saturday at 11 a.m. against Prairie View A&M.
This weekend's matches will be a homecoming for a pair of Houston area freshman in
Brionne Smith and
Taylor Berry. Smith totaled 13 kills in Tuesday's opener and leads UNO with 4.3 kills a set and a .867 attack percentage.
Marti Richmiller and
Laila Hansen also factored into the offense for the Privateers against LU, producing five kills apiece.
Ryan Hamilton received the start at the setter position for head coach Kim Young-Buford's squad, contributing eight assists a frame with 24 assists overall.
Defensively, Hansen and freshman libero
Lauren Levy lead UNO with two digs a set. Smith had two blocks in the opener and is averaging .67 stuffs a frame.
The opposing teams in this weekend tournament all hail from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), for which Young-Buford has experience after playing and coaching at Grambling. TSU (0-3) and PVAMU (0-4) have yet to win after falling in each match in tournaments at Sam Houston State and North Texas, respectively.
The Tigers are led by Mona Reed, who was named to the all-tournament team after averaging two kills per set and will look to continue this success at TSU's annual home-hosted tournament. The Panthers received 2.77 kills a frame from Bruna Menezes with Kelsey Espinosa distributing 6.15 assists a set.
No stats were available on Mississippi Valley State, who may have yet to start their 2012 campaign.
Following Saturday's match, UNO is slated to face Alcorn State on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. The Privateers' first home match is Sept. 11 at the Human Performance Center against Nicholls State with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
