University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
10-11,2-8
Houston
5-16,0-10
Tigers Volleyball Defeats Houston 3-0 Friday
Oct 21, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
Memphis takes marathon third set by a 35-33 score.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis senior Catlin Lilly posted her third-consecutive double-double and the fifth of the season to lift the Tigers to a 3-0 American Athletic Conference win over Houston Friday.
The Tigers won the marathon match by scores of 25-20, 27-25 and 35-33. With the win, Memphis improved to 10-11 overall and 2-7 in the league. The Cougars fell to 5-16 overall and 0-10 in conference play.
Lilly had 15 kills and a season-high 21 digs for her third-straight double-double. Her current string of double-doubles is her longest of the campaign. Sophomore Kelsey Walter tied a season best with nine kills. Freshman Tai Bierria and senior Summer Morgan also posted nine kills apiece.
Sophomore Mady Ruhlman added 13 digs, and junior Regan Comperry had a match-high 34 assists. Morgan led the squad with three blocks.
"They always say that big-time players make big-time plays, and we had some step up for us tonight," said head coach April Jauregui. "We focused this week on the mental aspect of the match and what it takes to win in this conference. Catlin had a great match tonight and was the glue for the team. I'm pleased with the leadership from our seniors.
"We want to build on what we did tonight. Tulane is an excellent road team, so we want to come out strong Sunday and put some pressure on them."
After what seemed like a grueling 27-25 second-set win, the Tigers were taken further in the third set by the visiting Cougars. The third set had 21 ties and six lead changes. In addition, the teams combined for 38 kills, 129 attack attempts and 58 digs in the third set alone.
Midway through the third set, Memphis grabbed a 15-11 lead on kills from Lilly and Walter and had momentum. Houston, though, did not go away. The Cougars battled back to tie the set at 21-all and looked to push the match to a fourth set.
From the 21-all score, the match was tied 13 times and had four lead changes. A Lilly kill gave Memphis the edge at 32-31. After the Cougars tied the match at 33-all, back-to-back kills from Bierria clinched the set 35-33 and the match 3-0 for Memphis.
The two squads also played a close second set in which there were 16 ties and eight lead changes. Memphis held the lead during the opening half of the second set and was ahead 12-10.
Houston battled back and took its largest advantage of the second set at 17-15. The Cougars held that two-point lead until 23-21 when the Tigers made their final push. Two Lilly kills tied the set at 23-all and 24-all, and a third kill from the Tigers senior gave Memphis a 26-25 lead. On the next rally, Houston committed an error to give the Tigers a 27-25 second-set victory.
In the opening set, Memphis trailed Houston 2-0 early, but quickly gained the advantage at 4-2 and never fell behind again. The Tigers built their lead to as many as four points (18-14) on the way to a 25-20 win.
Memphis closes its four-match homestand Sunday, Oct. 23 when it hosts Tulane in a 1 p.m. (CT) encounter at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Sunday is the Tigers' Pink Match for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
