COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (24-11) vs. TULANE (28-8)
Match No. 36 | Saturday, December 8, 2018 | 8:00 PM ET
New Orleans, La. | Fogelman Arena
 
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Twitter: @CofCVolleyball
Live Stats: CofCStats.com
Video: Tulane All-Access
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The College of Charleston volleyball team (24-11) will look to ride the momentum from its dominating sweep of Clemson into Saturday's National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) semifinal matchup with Tulane (28-8), as the Cougars and Green Wave take the floor with a spot in the championship match hanging in the balance. First serve is slated for 8:00 pm ET.
 
Championship Review  
The Cougars are one of four teams vying for the 2018 National Invitational Volleyball Championship title after defeating their second straight ACC foe with a sweep of Clemson on Thursday.
 
Series History   
Saturday's semifinal match-up marks the first all-time meeting between the Cougars and Green Wave. The Cougars are 10-15 all-time against the American Athletic Conference, including a 5-1 mark against East Carolina.
 
Scouting Tulane                 
Tulane enters Saturday's match with a 28-8 record after defeating Valparaiso, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. The Green Wave finished with a 13-5 mark in AAC play. Tulane fell to Georgia Tech, 3-1, in Atlanta on Aug. 31, and defeated Clemson, 3-2, in New Orleans on Sept. 15.
 
The Green Wave top the AAC in multiple statistical categories, and rank among the nation's top five in team assists (3rd/1,781), team kills (5th/1,862), team blocks (5th/335.0), and opponent hitting percentage (5th/.149). Five players are averaging more than two kills per set this season for Tulane, led by Erika Hansel (2.70/set). Markenzie Benoit paces three players averaging more than one block per set with an average of 1.30.
 
Surging Through the NIVC           
The Cougars' offense has put on a show through the first three rounds of the NIVC, averaging 15.64 kills per set while compiling a .301 hitting percentage. Allison Beckman has played a vital role in the Cougars' success with 153 assists (13.91/set), while Devon Rachel (4.73), Kennedy Madison (4.18), and Lauren Freed (3.82) have combined for nearly three kills per set.
 
Only Four Remain           
Only four teams remain of the 32 that began the journey through the NIVC bracket two weeks ago: Charleston, Iowa State, Tulane, and UNLV. Three of the four entered postseason play ranked among the top 64 in the NCAA RPI - Iowa State (60), Tulane (61), and CofC (63). UNLV came into the NIVC at No. 122 in RPI.
 
Sweeping Away the Big Dogs      
Charleston registered the fourth sweep of a Power Five team in program history on Thursday with a dominating performance at Clemson. The Cougars previously swept Georgia Tech in 2013, and Baylor and South Carolina in 2005.
 
Uncharted Territory      
The Cougars advanced to the fourth round of a postseason tournament (non-conference) for the first time in program history with their 3-0 win over Clemson on Thursday. Charleston has made it past the first round of either the NCAA Tournament or the NIVC for only the third time, with both of the previous occurrences coming in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2012.
 
Region Recognition        
Devon Rachel and Kennedy Madison added to their respective lists of honors on Tuesday, each earning a spot on the AVCA's East Coast All-Region team for the first time in their careers. This marks the third time in program history the Cougars have received multiple AVCA All-Region honors in the same season, and first with two players on the All-Region team. The Cougars' two previous pairs both featured one first team and one honorable mention honoree.