University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
8-4
Tennessee
5-7
Memphis Pushes Winning Streak to Six Against Mercer, Tennessee
Sep 19, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis volleyball team picked up its fifth and sixth-consecutive victories on Friday afternoon at the DISH Lady Vol Classic in Knoxville against Mercer and Tennessee. The Tigers improve to 8-4 on the season while Mercer falls to 3-7 and UT moves to 5-7. The six-match winning streak ties the longest such streak under Memphis head coach April Jauregui.
In the first match, Memphis defeated Mercer, 27-29, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18, in four sets for the opening victory for the Tigers. The Bears were able to wrestle the first set from the Tigers behind a .556 hitting percentage. Following the first set Memphis was able to put the Bear's offense into a state of hibernation, holding them to a .108, .250, .000 swing percentage over the next three sets.
Freshman Kate Gibson, last weekend's tournament MVP, picked up right where she left off, leading all players in kills (19) and percentage (.372). Oluchi Agomuo also tallied a double-digit kill total in the first match with 16. The Mercer match featured the best kill-output numbers for both freshmen. Junior Veronica Zimmerman posted her 17th double-double of the season with 44 assists and 15 digs.
"I am happy to get the win," Jauregui said following the first match. "We didn't start strong and we struggled with our serving game a bit, but our offensive efforts stayed strong throughout the entire match. We've got to get some rest and get geared up for a big match tonight."
In the second match of the day, Memphis claimed the first, third and fourth sets (25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21) to post its sixth-straight victory, matching the longest streak under Jauregui. Senior Lauren Wright returned to the lineup and logged 13 kills in 22 attempts for a .409 hitting percentage to lead the team.
Memphis roared out to a quick start in the second match after starting the first match sluggishly. With the first set tied at 15-all, Memphis went on a 5-0 run before fighting off a late Tennessee rally to take the opener, 25-21.
The second set saw Tennessee build a commanding 14-7 lead through the early goings. The Tigers would hit their stride at that point, going on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to one. The effort from the Lady Vols would prove to be insurmountable as six attack errors would plague the Tigers in the end, 25-21.
Both sides struggled to take command after the intermission with neither side able to capitalize on the opposition's mistakes. With the match tied at 13, Agomuo reeled off three-straight kills to give the Tigers a three-point lead. Memphis would continue to build off the momentum as it closed out the third set, 25-20.
The pressure by the Tigers in the fourth set allowed Memphis to secure its sixth-straight victory as it built an early lead against Tennessee. The Blue and Gray hit .224 for the match and added nine blocks to clinch the victory.
"Tonight was a total team effort" Jauregui said. "I am very proud of this team for continuing to fight through adversity. They are a great group to coach. They inspire me to bring my best every day because that is what they are giving me. I think our team chemistry and belief in each other has helped us during this streak. We have crossed that first hurdle and have the confidence to win."
After setting the school's all-time digs record a week ago, senior Aleksandra Petronijevic had a modest afternoon, digging out 11 and 16 balls, respectively.
"The leadership of the upperclassmen has been great," the seventh-year head coach said. "Aleksandra has been such a solid force in the back row. Veronica is doing a great job running the offense and our middles continue to dominate at the net."
The Tigers will be in action again tomorrow at the DISH Lady Vol Classic. Memphis takes on Montana State at 9 a.m. and concludes the tournament against Austin Peay at 3:30. To learn more about the team, visit GoTigersGo.com and follow @MemphisVolley on Twitter.
