NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team hits the road for a third straight tournament this weekend at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic. The action starts on Friday as UIW is scheduled for two matches beginning with Tulane at 11:30 a.m. and finishing up with TCU at 4:30 p.m. in Devlin Fieldhouse. On Saturday, the Cardinals will play their final match of the tournament when they face North Carolina State starting at 4:30 p.m.

After starting the season 0-3, the Cardinals (2-4) responded very well at the UTRGV Tournament getting their first two victories of the season against UT Rio Grande Valley and Southern. Both of the wins were dominant performances by UIW as they did not allow either team to win a set in both of the matches winning 3-0 in each match.

Shaina Garza (San Antonio/Warren HS) was one of several players that helped led the Cardinals in the UTRGV Tournament this past weekend. For the tournament, she had a team high 35 kills and also added 27 digs as well.  In the final match against Southern, she posted one of the best games of her career with 15 kills and 10 digs. Her attack percentage for the game was an outstanding .652 and she added three assists to go along with her first double-double of the season.

Tulane started the season at the Sam Houston Invitational where they went 1-3 with their only victory coming against Prairie View A&M. The Green Wave is led by the attacking duo of Tea Juric and Sarah Ray who have already combined for 89 of the team's 157 kills. Juric leads Tulane with 46 kills while she also has the most digs with 35.

TCU has started out the season very strong winning all three matches at the Crosstown Classic in Fort Worth and winning two of three at the San Diego State Invitational. The Horned Frogs only defeat so far came to San Diego who is ranked 23^rd in the country. TCU has three players who have more than 45 kills so far on the season. Ashley Smith is the leader of the team and she has 50 kills in just 18 sets played. Regan McGuire is third on the team in kills with 46, and she has a .429 attack percentage. 

Much like TCU, NC State has started out the season on a hot streak. In the South Carolina Tournament, the Wolfpack won all three matches including a big 3-0 victory over South Carolina. In the NC State Hilton Garden Inn Cary Classic, the team lost their first match of the season against Ole Miss, but finished the tournament by defeating Jacksonville and Delaware. Julia Brown leads the Wolfpack with 61 kills. Also, Morgan Cormier has 51 kills and she leads the team with 49 digs. 
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