Tigers Volleyball Hosts Memphis Invitational This Weekend

Friday, September 15

Memphis, Tenn.

10 am CT

University of Memphis

Louisiana-Monroe

Photo by: Brandon Dill

Tigers Volleyball Hosts Memphis Invitational This Weekend

Sep 14, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Two-day tournament also is 2017 home opener.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Finally, the University of Memphis volleyball plays a regular-season match at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse in 2017. This weekend, the Tigers host the Memphis Invitational, and the two-day tournament also serves as their 2017 home opener.

Memphis welcomes Louisiana Monroe, Nicholls and UT Martin to the Bluff City. The tournament's six matches all are slated for the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sept. 15-16. Admission is free to all matches.

The Tigers opened 2017 with three-straight road tournaments at Eastern Illinois Aug. 25-26, Central Arkansas Sept. 1-2 and Louisiana Tech Sept. 8-9.

Memphis Invitational Schedule (All Matches)

Date/Day	Teams	Time (CT)
Sept. 15/Friday	Memphis vs. Louisiana Monroe	10 a.m.
	UT Martin vs. Nicholls	12 p.m.
	Memphis vs. Nicholls	5 p.m
	Louisiana Monroe vs. UT Martin	7 p.m.
Sept. 16/Saturday	Memphis vs. UT Martin	10 a.m.
	Nicholls vs. Louisiana Monroe	12 p.m.

Memphis/Opponents Breakdown

	Memphis	Louisiana Monroe	Nicholls	UT Martin
2017 Record	4-5	3-10	2-8	1-6
Series Record	--	UM leads 6-1	UM leads 5-2	UM leads 35-5
Kills Leader	Tai Bierria, 90	Mikaela Worley, 88	Stephanie Tobison, 83	Jemima Idemudia/ Megan Fair, 100
Assists Leader	Faith Myers, 227	Tara Jenkins, 185	Jade Piper, 211	Kenzie Hinshaw, 233
Digs Leader	Alyssa Kronberg, 162	Kacey LeBlanc, 154	Emily Venable, 139	Brooke Gyori, 150
Blocks Leader	Brianna Kadiku, 32	Catherine Griffith, 27	Sydney Lerille, 15	Jemima Idemudia, 33

Head coach April Jauregui comments on Memphis Invitational, playing at home
"We're excited to finally play at home – at least for one weekend. We open conference on the road next weekend. It's wasn't bad taking our young team on the road to start the season. It gave us more time together. Obviously, it's tougher to win on the road because you're playing on another team's homecourt. Now, we get that homecourt advantage this weekend.

"We're playing better. We're a super young team, and it just takes time to make connections. The players are working hard. We can look at the losses, and it's not necessarily what the opposition is doing to us, but it's that we need more time together to work out some things.

"We played UT Martin earlier, but they were without one of their top players. She may be back this weekend, because without her, their game has been disrupted a little. We're focused more on the things we need to be better at heading into this weekend, so that we have a good feeling going into conference play. It's about putting the pieces together and feeling good in our system so we're ready to go when we start playing a competitive conference schedule."

Tigers Tidbits

This weekend's Memphis Invitational also serves as the 2017 home opener for the Tigers. Memphis takes the court for the first time at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse this season on Friday, Sept. 15. It is the latest home opener in program history since 1991 when that Memphis squad played its first home match Sept. 20, 1991. Friday's opponent for the Tigers' home opener is Louisiana Monroe. Memphis' opponent in its 1991 home opener also was Louisiana Monroe. The Tigers won that 1991 home opener 3-1 over the Warhawks.
The Tigers face UT Martin for a second time in three weeks. Memphis played the Skyhawks Sept. 1 at the Central Arkansas Invitational in Conway, Ark. The Tigers posted a 3-0 victory over UT Martin.
There's going to be a "long-time-no-see" feeling when Memphis plays Louisiana Monroe Friday. The two programs have not met since 1997. The Tigers won that match 3-0. The win was Memphis' fifth-straight in the series.
This weekend's Memphis Invitational is the final tune-up before American Athletic Conference action begins next week. The Tigers open league play – where else – on the road at Connecticut and Temple.
Sophomore Brianna Kadiku is fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (.354) and 12^th in blocks per set (0.94).
Sophomore Tai Bierria (12^th) and freshman Hannah Flowers (18^th) rank among the conference leaders in kills per set.
Freshman Alyssa Kronberg is seventh in The American in digs per set (4.76) and is sixth in total digs (162).