University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, October 9
Memphis, Tenn.
7:00 PM
University of Memphis
vs
USF
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Volleyball Opens Home Stand Friday Night Against USF
Oct 08, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Tigers start against USF Friday Night.
MEMPHIS – The University of Memphis volleyball team (11-6, 2-2 American) will host a pair of teams this weekend that the Tigers are currently tied for fourth in the league standings with. USF (5-11, 2-2 American) comes to town Friday night for a 7 p.m. match while preseason favorites, UCF, will be in Memphis for a Sunday 1 p.m. match in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The Sunday game against UCF will be Memphis' Dig Pink game for breast cancer awareness.
"We're starting to see some separation in the conference standings already even though we are just four matches in," Head Coach April Jauregui said. "These early games, you have to pick up these W's to keep yourself in the hunt. Mentally, without a conference tournament, you have to stay in the hunt or it becomes a long season as you get in to November."
Memphis is coming off a split last weekend on the road, but needs to try to get a pair of home wins this weekend with a four-match road trip on the horizon for the next two weeks.
"We're playing 7 of our first 10 conference matches on the road in this first round, so we need to defend our home court," Jauregui said. "If we can take care of business this weekend at home, we know we're capable of taking care of business on the road, so that sets us up in the next six matches heading in to round two."
Memphis is 2-1 on the road in league play so far this season. After falling in a home match to East Carolina, Memphis fell 3-0 at league-leading Temple, but bounced back with a 3-1 win in Storrs, Connecticut, to stay in a tie for fourth in the league standings.
"We had some really good performances (in the road win at UConn)," Jauregui said. "McKenzie Hayes was on fire. She had 18 kills with just one error. Summer Morgan had a great match and had other players that came in and played great defense and passed well. I think I know where our team is at. If we show up every day, we can continue to do some damage."
Memphis suffered a home loss in their last appearance in the Fieldhouse, but was without redshirt senior setter Veronica Zimmerman. Zimmerman returned to the lineup on the road this weekend and will look to get some balance in the Tiger offense back in the home digs this weekend. Zimmerman ranks fourth in the league with 9.36 assists per game and Memphis' .220 hitting percentage ranks fifth in the conference.
Defensively, Memphis leads the league in holding opponents to a .157 attack percentage and ranks second with 16.44 digs per set and with 11.39 kills allowed per set. Senior libero Lindsey Purvis, who already has four 20-plus dig performances this season, just missed a career high with 26 digs in the win at UConn, Sunday.
The Friday night match with USF will also find the Tigers trying to extend their winning streak against the Bulls. Memphis has won three straight in the series history, including a pair of wins last year. In the second-to-last road match of the year last year, Memphis won 3-2 in Tampa while in the hunt for a conference title. The Tigers trailed 2-0 in that match before coming back to win 3-2.
The Sunday match will bring the defending conference champs to the Tigers' home floor. UCF leads the overall series with Memphis, 16-12, and swept the two-match series last year. In the last outing played in the Fieldhouse between the two teams, UCF won 3-2.
Admission for Memphis volleyball home matches is free.
"We're starting to see some separation in the conference standings already even though we are just four matches in," Head Coach April Jauregui said. "These early games, you have to pick up these W's to keep yourself in the hunt. Mentally, without a conference tournament, you have to stay in the hunt or it becomes a long season as you get in to November."
Memphis is coming off a split last weekend on the road, but needs to try to get a pair of home wins this weekend with a four-match road trip on the horizon for the next two weeks.
"We're playing 7 of our first 10 conference matches on the road in this first round, so we need to defend our home court," Jauregui said. "If we can take care of business this weekend at home, we know we're capable of taking care of business on the road, so that sets us up in the next six matches heading in to round two."
Memphis is 2-1 on the road in league play so far this season. After falling in a home match to East Carolina, Memphis fell 3-0 at league-leading Temple, but bounced back with a 3-1 win in Storrs, Connecticut, to stay in a tie for fourth in the league standings.
"We had some really good performances (in the road win at UConn)," Jauregui said. "McKenzie Hayes was on fire. She had 18 kills with just one error. Summer Morgan had a great match and had other players that came in and played great defense and passed well. I think I know where our team is at. If we show up every day, we can continue to do some damage."
Memphis suffered a home loss in their last appearance in the Fieldhouse, but was without redshirt senior setter Veronica Zimmerman. Zimmerman returned to the lineup on the road this weekend and will look to get some balance in the Tiger offense back in the home digs this weekend. Zimmerman ranks fourth in the league with 9.36 assists per game and Memphis' .220 hitting percentage ranks fifth in the conference.
Defensively, Memphis leads the league in holding opponents to a .157 attack percentage and ranks second with 16.44 digs per set and with 11.39 kills allowed per set. Senior libero Lindsey Purvis, who already has four 20-plus dig performances this season, just missed a career high with 26 digs in the win at UConn, Sunday.
The Friday night match with USF will also find the Tigers trying to extend their winning streak against the Bulls. Memphis has won three straight in the series history, including a pair of wins last year. In the second-to-last road match of the year last year, Memphis won 3-2 in Tampa while in the hunt for a conference title. The Tigers trailed 2-0 in that match before coming back to win 3-2.
The Sunday match will bring the defending conference champs to the Tigers' home floor. UCF leads the overall series with Memphis, 16-12, and swept the two-match series last year. In the last outing played in the Fieldhouse between the two teams, UCF won 3-2.
Admission for Memphis volleyball home matches is free.
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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