University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Austin Peay
Tigers Win Eighth Straight; Claim Lady Vol Classic
Sep 20, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Memphis volleyball team picked up its seventh and eighth consecutive victories on Saturday at the DISH Lady Vol Classic on Saturday over Montana State and Austin Peay. The streak is the longest since the 2004 team won 13 in a row. The Blue and Gray improve to 10-4 while Montana State falls to 3-8 and Austin Peay drops to 6-10. Senior Lauren Wright was named as the tournament MVP while Oluchi Agomuo and Veronica Zimmerman were named to the All-Tournament team.
"That's two nice wins over good teams," Memphis head coach April Jauregui said. "Winning is fun, but it's more important that we get better. That's the real reward. We have picked up some nice wins, and we've done it by playing team volleyball. We look to continue this process as we enter conference play next weekend."
In the first match against Montana State, Memphis earned its seventh-straight victory with a sweep over Montana State, 25-16, 25-22, 25-18, to give head coach April Jauregui the longest winning streak in her tenure.
Sophomore Catlin Lilly finished with a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Alexis Wesley, Lauren Wright and Oluchi Agomuo all finished with double-digit kill marks to help propel the Blue and Gray to victory. Veronica Zimmerman served up 44 assists to lead all players.
After dropping the first set in the team's first four matches, Memphis has started quickly of late, winning the first set in six of its last seven matches. The Tigers played a near-perfect first set en-route to a quick dismissal of MSU. The Blue and Gray committed only three errors and hit at a .441 to coast to an opening set victory, 25-16.
The second set saw the Tigers fall into an early pit against the Bobcats, trailing 4-1 after the first five points. The Blue and Gray would turn their fortunes as they clawed back to tie the match at nine. Memphis was able to overcome 12 errors and a .125 hitting percentage in the second set to pull out a late victory, 25-22.
In the final set, the Tigers built a strong lead early and cruised to a victory to close out the match, 25-18. Memphis hit .257 in the last frame and overcame eight errors to give Jauregui the longest winning streak under her tenure with the Blue and Gray.
In the tournament championship match against Austin Peay the Tigers jumped out to an early advantage in three of the four sets and were able to close out the tournament in style, 25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13.
Memphis had no trouble in the opening set with the Governors, taking the first frame, 25-17. The second set was more highly contested as neither side was able to build a substantial lead. Austin Peay made a commanding run and overcame a late Tigers' rally to claim the second set, 25-23.
The Tigers would rebound, however, after the miscues in the second set by roaring out to an 8-2 lead in the third set. Memphis would remain dominant through the remainder of the set, hitting .412 and holding Austin Peay to a .154 swing percentage as the Tigers posted a 25-15.
It was much of the same for the Tigers in the fourth set as they built a 12-3 advantage early en-route to claiming the deciding set, 25-13.
Wright posted a season-high 19 kills and hit an even .500 while Wesley hit a career-high .688 with 11 kills. Agomuo also reached the double-digit kill plateau with 11. Zimmerman dished out 45 assists and added four kills to set the table for the offense.
The Tigers will be in action again on Friday when it travels to Tulane to open American Athletic Conference play. To learn more about the team, visit GoTigersGo.com and follow @MemphisVolley on Twitter and Instagram.
