NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Owls volleyball team was unsuccessful in its quest for victory at the Big Easy Blastoff tournament in New Orleans, LA. The W opened the delayed season Friday afternoon in its first competition since 2019 and struggled against the more experienced teams.

The W (0-2) took on the host school Xavier University (4-2) in its first match and fell 3-0 (25-12, 25-8, 25-4)  in the Convocation Center.

The Owls fell victim to errors all night long, falling behind early in all three sets and hitting at only a -.081 clip for the match. Sophomore middle blocker Iyana Canada led The W in scoring with 5.5 points. The Oakman, Ala. native recorded three kills, two service aces, and one block assists. Next on the team,  freshman Jadelyn Trice tallied 4.5 points with four kills and a block assist.

In the second match of the day, The W took on Our Lady of the Lake University. Again, the Owls could not get over the hump to fall 3-0 (25-8, 25-7, 25-8).

The Owls hitting percentage fell in game two to -.133, and it was more difficult for the team to land a kill. Canada and Trice again led The W with 3.0 points versus the Saints.
"Our first match in 15 months wasn't the outcome we wanted on the scoreboard, but we learned a lot about our team," said first-year head coach Brooke Carter. "It was a good opportunity to get out the first game jitters, and we had several freshmen step up and compete. We are ready to hit the gym again on Monday, and look forward to seeing how our team will grow and mature over the course of this season."

The Owls will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 19 when they travel to Jackson, Miss. to take on the Majors of Millsaps College. The first serve is at 5:00 p.m.

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