Tulsa Hurricane covers TU women’s volleyball team abroad in their victory over Kansas City on Saturday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Six Golden Hurricane posted double figures on Saturday, as the Tulsa volleyball team defeated Kansas City, 3-1 [25-22, 17-25, 25-16, 15-21] to end the KC Roos Klassic. The two-day tournament was hosted by Kansas City at the Swinney Recreation Center.
With the win, the Golden Hurricane improve to 3-3 overall, while the Roos drop to 1-3 this season.
Additionally, senior Taylor Horsfall, sophomore Roosa Rautio, and freshman Dialra Gedikoglu received all-tournament team honors.
Tulsa would trail by four points at two occasions early in the opening set. A Maggie Hembree kill off a Rautio assist would give the Golden Hurricane its first lead at 9-8.
Two plays later, Rautio set up Maddie Rhoder for a kill. That would be the start of an 11-3 TU run for a 20-12 advantage.
Gedikoglu totaled five kills during the run, Rhoder finished with two, while Hannah Overmyer added one. Rhoder and Callie Cook were both credited with a block assist. Horsfall and Rautio registered three assists, respectively, and Mariah Pardo had one.
Kansas City did not go away. Trailing 24-17, they scored five straight points, before a Roos attacking error ended the set.
The Roos would take the second set, 25-17, but it was all Tulsa after that.
In the third set, Kansas City would cut a six-point Tulsa lead to just three points at 13-10. However, four straight errors by the Roos helped Tulsa gain a seven-point cushion.
The Roos attempted to rally from two seven-point deficits in the fourth set, but Tulsa held its ground. With the Golden Hurricane on top, 22-15, Kansas City captured six of the ensuing eight points. But the closest they came was within three points at 24-21 and 23-20.
Tulsa finished the match 47 kills on a .187 attacking percentage, while Kansas City recorded 48 kills on a .151 clip.
The Roos edged the Golden Hurricane in assists, 46-45, but TU had a 7-5 advantage in service aces. Both teams registered 67 digs. Overall, there were nine ties and nine lead changes throughout the contest.
Gedikoglu finished with her fourth double-double of the season, leading all players with 17 kills, to go with 12 digs. Rautio also posted her first double-double of the campaign, as she recorded a team-high 22 assists and chipped in 12 digs. The two also combined for five of Tulsa’s seven service aces.
Four additional Golden Hurricane also posted double figures.
Horsfall led all players with 22 digs. Overmyer tied her career-high of 11 digs and registered a career-best three solo blocks. Pardo ended the match with 14 assists, while Hembree tallied a season-high 10 kills.
Cook combined for two solo blocks and six block assists.
The Golden Hurricane return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 7:00 p.m., as they travel to cross-town rival Oral Roberts. Following the contest, Tulsa will make its way to the Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Tulsa Invitational. TU will host Houston Baptist in the home opener on Friday, Sept. 13 at 12 noon.
Tickets for all home volleyball matches this year are $5.00 for general admission seating. A group price of $3.00 per ticket for a minimum of 15 persons is available by calling 918.631.GoTU (4688).
To keep up with Tulsa volleyball as the 2019 season approaches, visit TulsaHurricane.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
