University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Ole Miss
@MemphisVolley Hosts Memphis Invitational
Sep 04, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Tigers volleyball team welcomes Ole Miss, Tennessee Martin and Arkansas State to the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday for the Memphis Invitational. The Tigers are looking to improve on a 1-2 start after pushing Alabama, an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, to five sets at the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic in St. Louis. In 11 years of hosting the Memphis Invitational, the Tigers have claimed the tournament title five times.
Protecting the Homefront
The Tigers look to return the prowess of the Elma Roane Fieldhouse to that of the early 2000's when the Blue and Gray went 83-29 from 2001-2008. More recently, Memphis has gone 34-41 since 2009.
Promotions
Fans are encouraged to "Blue-Out" the Elma Roane Fieldhouse when the Tigers take on Ole Miss on Friday. Additionally, the first 400 fans in attendance will receive a rally towel.
Staying Connected
To learn more about the Memphis volleyball team and the rest of Tiger Athletics, visit GoTigersGo.com and follow @MemphisVolley on Twitter and Instagram.
Memphis Notes
• Memphis Head Coach April Jauregui (88-105), who is in her seventh-year at the helm of the volleyball program, needs 12 victories to eclipse the 100-win plateau.
• Aleksandra Petronijevic enters the weekend with 1,690 career digs. Petronijevic is currently ranked No. 3 on the all-time list but only needs 101 to move into second place and 122 to take over the top position in the record book. The next match the Serbian plays in will be her 100th-career match.
• Senior Lauren Wright, the Tigers' lone member on the preseason All-Conference team, picked up her 1,000th career point on Saturday against Alabama. The Texas native needs 185 kills to become the 23rd-player in school history to surpass the 1,000 kill-plateau.
• With 116 assists at the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic in St. Louis, junior setter Veronica Zimmerman was named to the All-Tournament team after three-straight double-double performances. The Toledo, Ohio, native needs 56 more assists to reach 2,000 and 56 more digs to reach 500. Also, seven more assists will move Zimmerman into eighth-place in the all-time record book.
• Junior Alexis Wesley leads the team with 40.0 points. The middle blocker has logged 30 kills and 17 blocks through the first three matches.
• Sophomore Catlin Lilly posted a career-high 23 digs in the season-opening loss to SEMO. The outside-hitter had more kills than any Memphis true freshman in the past decade and most kills by a freshman since Altrese Hawkins' breakout campaign in 2009.
• Freshmen Kate Gibson and Oluchi Agomuo each left their print on the matches in St. Louis. The pair started all three contests and combined for 56 kills and 34 digs. Gibson notched back-to-back double-doubles in the final two matches.
Schedule Breakdown
• The Blue and Gray open the season with tournaments the first four weekends of the season before hitting the road for the conference opener against Tulane • The Tigers will face off against foes from the SEC, Ohio Valley, Southland, Sun Belt, A10, Southern and Big Sky Conferences in the first month of the season • Memphis will host 13 matches at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, including the Memphis Intercollegiate Tournament on Sept. 5-6 Tigers Eyeing Record Book • Seniors Aleksandra Petronijevic and Lauren Wright are each nearing career milestones. Petronijevic needs 122 digs to set the program career record while Wright needs 185 kills to eclipse 1,000 for her career. • Junior Veronica Zimmerman currently sits at ninth-place in her career for assists with 1,944. Zimmerman needs 7 to move into sole possession of eighth place.
Season Preview
• Senior Lauren Wright was named to the All-Conference team after leading the squad with 408.5 points in her junior campaign • The Tigers were picked to finish eighth in the American, despite returning four starters and eight letterwinners • SMU was pegged as the preseason favorite by American Athletic after receiving 9-of-11 first-place votes
AAC Preseason Poll Place Team Points 1. SMU (9) 99 2. UCF (1) 87 3. Tulane (1) 79 4. Tulsa 73 5. USF 69 6. UConn 45 7. Houston 44 8. Memphis 40 9. Temple 34 10. Cincinnati 23 11. ECU 12
Scouting
• Scouting Ole Miss - The Rebels enter the tournament after going 4-0 at the Buffalo Classic last weekend in New York. Ole Miss has not dropped a set this season, claiming all four matches 3-0. Melanie Crow leads the team with 46 kills and 60.0 points while Aubrey Edie has 149 assists on the young season.
• Scouting UT-Martin - The Skyhawks also enter the Memphis Invitational with a perfect 4-0 record after picking up wins against South Carolina State (3-0), Alabama State (3-2) and Southern (3-0) at the Alabama State Tournament this past weekend and Alabama A&M (3-0) on Tuesday. Allie Whimpey leads the team with 47.5 points, including 38 kills. Madison Bergren has set the table for the offense with 145 assists.
• Scouting Arkansas State - The Red Wolves come to Memphis looking to pick up their first victory of the season after falling to George Washington, North Dakota and Auburn. Shelby Holmes leads the squad in kills with 41, while Mallory Warrington has 117 assists.
Noble Joins Coaching Staff
• Kallie Noble joined the Memphis volleyball coaching staff in April 2014 after serving as the head coach at the University of St. Thomas. • A 2003 graduate from Western Michigan, Noble has also served as the assistant coach at Tulane and Lincoln Memorial University.
Credentials
Credentials for media wishing to cover Tigers volleyball can be obtained by contacting the Athletics Communications Office, at (901) 678-2337. Media covering visiting teams are asked to contact the Athletics Communications Office at least one day prior to the match.
Parking
Media members will allowed to park in the Zach Curlin parking garage located beside the Elma Roane Fieldhouse for $5.00.
Photographers
Photo credentials will be issued only to approved photographers representing daily newspapers, television stations, wire services and the U of M Athletics Communications Office. Contact the Athletics Communications Office for in-game photo locations and restrictions. Photographers are not permitted to sell photos taken at U of M volleyball matches without the written consent of the Athletics Communications Office.
Match Services
Game notes and programs, statistics, rosters, media guides, final box scores and play-by-play and other pertinent information will be provided by the U of M Athletics Communications.
Telephones/Internet
Telephones, ethernet and high-speed wireless internet access is available on press row for all University of Memphis home volleyball matches.
Practice/Interviews
All Tigers practices are closed to the public, but interview arrangements may be made by contacting Will Edwards in the Athletics Communications Office. All interviews with head coach April Jauregui are coordinated through the Athletics Communications Office. If you wish to interview a player, contact the Athletics Communications Office so that an interview can be set around the player's academic and practice schedules. Coach Jauregui and players are available for postgame interviews 10 minutes following the end of the match.
Tickets
Admission is free to all 2014 Memphis volleyball home matches. All regular-season home matches are played at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Tigers on the Web
The official athletics website of the University of Memphis is www.gotigersgo.com. Media information, such as game notes, box scores, statistics, etc., all are available on the website. Home Memphis volleyball matches will be streamed and broadcasted live.
American Website
Additional information about the American Athletic Conference and its member institutions can be obtained by logging on to www.theamerican.org. The conference site has up-to-date statistics and rankings of all league schools.
