University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
11-5, 1-1
Houston
9-5, 1-1
Houston Snaps Memphis' Nine-Match Winning Streak
Sep 28, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON, Texas - The Memphis volleyball team saw its nine-match winning streak come to an end as it fell to Houston, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Athletics/Alumni Center in Houston, Texas. The Tigers fall to 11-5 and 1-1 in American Conference action while the Cougars improve to 9-5 and 1-1 in conference play.
Freshman Oluchi Agomuo enjoyed her return trip to her hometown, notching 16 kills and a .389 hitting percentage to lead the team. Sophomore Catlin Lilly also recorded a double-digit kill total with 13. Junior setter Veronica Zimmerman dished out 44 assists and senior libero Aleksandra Petronijevic dug out 21 volleys, tops on the team.
"Hats off to Houston," Memphis head coach April Jauregui said. "They played a low error, solid offensive game game that put a lot of pressure on us. Our offense wasn't clicking like it has been and I think that is due to the defensive effort displayed by Houston today. We know it will be a dog fight every night."
Both sides opened the match with accuracy, swinging above the .300 mark through the early goings, but Memphis was able to capitalize on the few Houston errors to build a 16-12 advantage before the Cougars called a timeout. Neither side was able to build a hefty lead as the Tigers saw their 20-16 lead vanish after a 4-0 run by Houston. Senior Lauren Wright tallied back-to-back kills to give the Blue and Gray a 22-20 lead late in the match. Houston would close the match on a 6-2 run to take the opener, 26-24. The Tigers recorded 19 kills and hit .295, but were unable to overcome six errors in the opening set loss. It marked the second time in the last ten matches that Memphis was unable to post a first set victory.
"We had our opportunity in the first set with the lead," Jauregui said. "That to me was the difference in the match. We just didn't come out with a lot of energy and in this conference you can't afford to take it easy."
The Cougars rode the momentum of claiming the first set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead to open the second frame. The Tigers would battle back, however, to tie the set at six. Houston would pull away from the Tigers after the set was tied as the Cougars closed on a 19-11 run to end the set. Memphis was unable to overcome a plethora of errors in the period, as it saw its hitting percentage fall to .200 and facing a 2-0 deficit going into the intermission.
Memphis built an 8-4 lead early in the third set, but a 7-1 run by Houston forced the Tigers to call a timeout, down 11-9. The Blue and Gray would swing another rally though, this time 8-2 in their favor to give Memphis a 17-13 lead. Houston eventually tied the match at 20-all, but a 5-1 run by the Tigers closed the book on the third set, 25-21.
Both teams exchanged a back-and-forth through the early goings in the fourth set. With the set tied at nine, Houston mounted a 12-2 run to all but secure the match. A 4-0 run by Memphis cut the Cougar lead to six at 21-15, but the lead was too much to overcome for the Blue and Gray as Houston put away the set, 25-17.
The Tigers will be in action again on Friday when they welcome Cincinnati to the confines of the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. First serve in that match is slated for 7 p.m. Visit GoTigersGo.com and follow @MemphisVolley on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with all the information about the team.
