Volleyball Falls To SMU Sunday

Sunday, October 15

Memphis, Tenn.

1 pm CT

University of Memphis

7-12, 0-7

SMU

13-6, 7-1

SMU

Memphis

Photo by: Brandon Dill

Oct 15, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Memphis-SMU Boxscore Memphis Season Statistics (All Matches)Memphis Season Statistics (Conference Matches Only)

Tigers to play rescheduled match vs. Tulane Tuesday.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis junior Kelsea Bivins and sophomore Tai Bierria led the Tigers' attack, but it wasn't enough in a 3-0 loss to SMU at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sunday.

SMU took the match by scores of 25-16, 25-13 and 25-14.

The loss dropped Memphis to 7-12 overall and 0-7 in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs improved to 13-6 overall and 7-1 in the league.

Sunday was Memphis' Cancer Awareness Match, and the Tigers had a ceremonial first serve before the action began. Pat Russell, who has been cancer-free for nine years, hit the first serve over the net to a standing ovation.

Up Next
Memphis travels to New Orleans, La., for a mid-week "make-up" match versus Tulane Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. (CT). The match was originally scheduled for Oct. 8, but was postponed as a result of Hurricane Nathan making landfall on the Gulf Coast that weekend.

Tigers Tidbits

Freshman Hannah Flowers and redshirt freshman Natale Zanellato, two of the squad's top hitters, did not play Sunday.
After a double-double performance Friday, Tai Bierria was close to another one Sunday. She was second on the team in both kills (7) and digs (13) vs. the Mustangs.
Bierria posted her ninth double-figures digs match of the season Sunday. It was her third double-digit digs performance in the last four matches.
Redshirt sophomore Sarah Marlatt logged five kills vs. SMU Sunday. It was her third match this season in which she posted five or more kills.
Junior Mady Ruhlman recorded her fifth-straight, double-figures digs match Sunday. She has 97 of her 147 digs this season in those five matches. She is averaging nearly 20 digs per match and nearly five digs per set in those five outings.
Sophomore Allison Grzebien tied a season-high with two total blocks vs. SMU.

Memphis vs. SMU Stats Leaders

Statistic	Memphis	SMU
Kills	Kelsea Bivins, 8 Tai Bierria, 7	Brittany Adams, 11
Assists	Regan Comperry, 10	Kendall Patterson, 34
Digs	Mady Ruhlman, 16 Tai Bierria, 13	Montana Watts, 21 Lauren Mills, 19
Total Blocks	Allison Grzebien, 2 Brianna Kadiku, 2	Lexi Nordmann, 5

How It Happened

Overall Match
- The match had five ties and two lead changes.
Set One (SMU 25-16)
- SMU jumped out to an early 4-1 advantage and never trailed.
- The Mustangs extended their lead to 12-5 before Memphis made a couple of runs.
- Memphis' first run was a 4-1 spurt to cut the SMU lead to 13-9.
- Brianna Kadiku led the charge with a kill and two combo-blocks.
- After SMU pushed its advantage back to 20-9, the Tigers made one final push.
- Memphis used a 6-1 spurt to slice the SMU lead to 21-15.
- Sarah Marlatt led the Tigers with three kills in the run. Kelsea Bivins and Allison Grzebien each added a kill.
- The Mustangs closed out the first set on a 4-0 run to claim the opening game.
Set Two (SMU 25-13)
- The Mustangs roared out to a 19-4 lead and never looked back.
- Memphis put together a 7-2 spurt to close to within 10 at 21-11.
- Three Bierria kills keyed the Tigers' run. Memphis also received kills from Marlatt and Bivins in the spurt.
- SMU finished the set with a 4-2 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set Three (SMU 25-14)
- The visitors from Dallas pulled out to a 10-4 lead and never trailed.
- Memphis kept the score to within six points most of the set.
- The Tigers trailed 18-12 when SMU used a 7-2 run to take the set and match.