CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The New Orleans Privateers battled through a tough opponent and showed their resilience the whole way through a 3-2 victory (22-25, 28-26, 25-22, 20-25, 16-14) on Thursday against the UIW Cardinals on Thursday at Dugan Wellness Center.
It marked the first Southland Tournament victory for the Privateers and their first conference tournament triumph since 2009.
Karen Cordero Barr led the Privateers in kills with 25, the most by a Privateer in a Southland Tournament match. Five Privateers reached double-figures in digs as the Privateers had 84 digs on the match.
The Privateers had to battle back from an early deficit in the fifth and deciding set. UIW got out to a 4-1 lead and maintained that advantage until it was 9-6. That's when the Privateers ripped off four consecutive points to take their first lead of the fifth set.
New Orleans assumed control at 14-12 and had two looks at match point but the Cardinals saved both on kills. The Privateers though came back with a kill from
Buse Kocakaya followed by a kill from
Ryan Williams to make sure it was New Orleans celebrating when the dust settled.
It was a match that featured 44 ties and 21 lead changes on the night. The Cardinals won the first set as they built a three-point lead and kept holding off New Orleans' rally attempts throughout the remainder of the set.
The Privateers were trailing 19-16 and in danger of going down 2-0 in the match but the fight showed again as it did in so many crucial moments. New Orleans surged in front when
Courtney Roundtree produced one of her 16 kills as the Privateers took a 22-21 lead.
Roundtree's block came in handy later in the set as it saved a UIW set point when the Cardinals were ahead 25-24. Off an attack error from UIW's Finley Evans, the Privateers leveled the score at 1-1 on the night.
New Orleans went ahead 2-1 when Kocakaya and Roundtree paired up for a block as the Privateers ended that set by scoring five of the last seven points. UIW extended the match when they took the fourth set by holding a 16-12 advantage in the kill department.
INSIDE THE BOX
Defne Eciroglu, who celebrated a birthday, went for a career-high 63 assists and added 16 digs. Kocakaya added 15 kills and six total blocks (two solo).
Lani Alleman (16), Cordero (14),
Rita Zecchin (14) and
Tatiana Mercer (12) all reached double-figures in digs.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
Visit UNOPrivateers.com/signup to stay connected and follow us @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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