University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Indiana State
Tigers Take Third in Tiger Invitational
Sep 06, 2008 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2008
Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -
Troy (4-3) 26 12 25 21 15 Memphis (4-3) 24 25 23 25 11
Memphis defeated Indiana State 3-1 in the early match, but was outlasted 3-2 by the tournament champion Troy Trojans in the final contest of the 2008 Tiger Invitational. Senior setter Laura Côté was named to the all-tournament team. Memphis went 2-2 to finish third in the five-team field.
Memphis kept things close in the fifth, but a pair of kills by the Trojans, followed by an attack error by the Tigers but them behind 8-7 midway through. That was as close as the U of M could come in a 15-11 defeat.
In the nightcap that featured a pair of teams battling it out to determine the tournament championship, it was Troy that emerged on top at the conclusion of the first set. The two teams fought through 12 ties before a three-point push by Troy put them on top 16-19. The Trojans would take a 24-19 lead but Memphis refused to go away easily. Behind the serve of Christine Bach, the Tigers came back to score the next five points and knot the game at 24. A service error and a kill by Trojan middle blocker Meghan Gilroy sealed the fate for the Tigers.
Memphis got out of the gates quick in the second game, using a pair of block assists from Emily Underwood and Kaitlin Inglish to take a 7-2 lead. The Tigers continued to extend the lead to 19-9 on a kill by Rebekah Strickland. A kill by Lauren Thompson capped a 5-2 run and gave Memphis a 25-12 win, evening the match at one set a piece.
The Tigers fell behind early in the third set before Strickland stepped to the service line. The junior's strong serve combined with two kills from Inglish fueled a six-point run to give the Tigers a 10-9 lead. Memphis could neither hold the lead or grab control of the contest, as Troy pushed for six straight points to take a 22-20 lead. The Tigers rallied to cut the lead to one point at 23-24 but could not complete the comeback to drop the set on the next point.
Trailing two sets to one, the Tigers had their eyes on reaching the fifth set. Strickland struck again with a kill that capped a 10-3 run to put Memphis comfortably ahead 16-9. Troy overcame five set-point serves to close a 24-16 Tiger advantage to just three points before an attacking error sent the tilt to a fifth and deciding set.
Memphis got a team-high 16 kills from Thompson, while Strickland banged home 15 kills. Côté set 46 assists in the contest.
Indiana State (4-4) 18 16 25 20 Memphis (4-2) 25 25 21 25
Memphis got a match-high 13 kills from Kaitlin Inglish and Laura Cote dished out 46 assists to help lead the Tigers to a 3-1 win over Indiana State in the early game of the day. Casey Sines and Lauren Thompson chipped in with 10 kills each. Christine Bach led the Memphis defense with 12 digs, while Emily Underwood put up a solid block and recorded 10 rejections.
The Tigers will be back in action next weekend when they hit the road for the first time to play in the MSU Classic in Starkville, Miss. The first match will pit the Tigers against Central Arkansas. Game time is set for 10 a.m. on Friday, September 12.
All-Tournament Team
Iona: Rachelle Wilson
Indiana State: Jodi Stoker
Memphis: Laura Cote
IUPUI: Chelsa Bastin
IUPUI: Lauran Thompson
Troy: Aubre Smith
Troy: Meghan Gilroy
Troy: Megan Henderson (MOP)
Tournament Runner-Up: IUPUI Jaguars
Tournament Champion: Troy Trojans
