Volleyball Has Three-Match Win Streak Snapped at USF

Sunday, November 22

Tampa, Fla.

1:00 PM ET

University of Memphis

17-14 (8-10AAC)

USF

10-20 (7-11AAC)

Memphis

USF

Photo by: George Walker

Volleyball Has Three-Match Win Streak Snapped at USF

Nov 22, 2015 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Tigers close out season at home this week.

By: Tammy DeGroff

TAMPA – The University of Memphis volleyball team saw its three-match winning streak come to an end with a 3-1 loss on the road at USF in Tampa, Sunday. The loss drops the Tigers to 17-14 on the season and 8-10 in conference play with two regular season matches remaining at home this weekend. USF improves to 10-20, 7-11 in the American in their final home match of the season.

USF used the momentum of its senior day festivities for its three member class to jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the match.

"Credit to South Florida for playing a very good match," Head Coach April Jauregui said. "They really sped up their offense, which gave our defenders trouble. They came out the aggressors and really dictated the tone from the start. We started slow in our passing and that carried over into the second set as well."

Out of the break, the Tigers hit a match-high .306 on offense. Catlin Lilly downed four of her 10 kills in the third set, while Oluchi Agomuo hit .231, also adding four kills, as Memphis scored its first set win, 25-22, in the third.

USF retook the momentum to start the fourth set, jumping up 4-1, but the Tigers battled back on Lindsey Purvis' serve to tie the match at 5-all. But that only sparked the Bulls on another run, pushing their lead back to 10-6 following a service ace. That lead would hoover at three or four points until, with USF up 13-10, Memphis got a kill from Agomuo and a block from Torika Baleilekutu and McKenzie Hayes and a USF service error to get to 14-13 down. A pair of bad USF sets tied the score then at 15-all.

USF tried to run away with the momentum again, capitalizing on a bad Tiger set and a kill to go up 17-15. But junior middle Summer Morgan responded with back-to-back kills to push Memphis in front for the first time in the set, forcing a USF timeout. Out of the timeout, Morgan teamed with setter Faith Myers for a block and the Tigers led 19-17. A pair of kills from Lilly and Agomuo pushed the Memphis lead to 21-19, forcing a second USF timeout, but the Bulls again fought back. After an Agomuo shot sailed out, USF tied the score up at 21 with a kill from Denise Belcher, forcing a Tiger timeout.

Out of the break, Agomuo again put Memphis in front, but USF again got a kill from Belcher to tie the score at 22. The score would also tie at 23 before Memphis burned its second timeout. Baleilekutu downed a kill out of the timeout to give the Tigers' set point, but Dakota Hampton killed a ball to tie the score at 24. The duo of Adyson Goodnight and Clara Payne then blocked a Catlin Lilly attempt for a 25-24 USF lead and on match point, Hampton then downed her 21st kill on match point to give South Florida the 26-24 set win and the 3-1 match win.

"I think our team responded after the second set and put together two solid sets, but ultimately, it wasn't enough to force a fifth set," Jauregui said.

Three Tigers downed double-digit kills in the loss, led by 13 from Agomuo. Lilly and Morgan each added 10 kills in the loss. Purvis led the Tiger defense with 17 digs. USF was led by Hampton's 21 kills. Belcher added 16 kills for the Bulls 10^th win of the season.

Memphis returns home for a two matches this week to round out the 2016 season. Memphis will host Tulane, Wednesday, at 7 p.m. and Houston, Friday, at noon.