Volleyball Preview: Houston, SMU

Friday, October 12

Memphis, Tenn.

7 pm

University of Memphis

Houston*

Photo by: Brandon Dill

Oct 11, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Tigers to battle Cougars, Mustangs at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse this weekend.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis volleyball team wraps its five-match homestand this weekend when the Tigers host Houston and SMU. Memphis welcomes Houston to the Bluff City Friday for a 7 p.m. (CT) match, and then faces SMU Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT).

Both American Athletic Conference encounters are set for the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Admission is free.

Memphis/Opponent Breakdown

	Memphis	Houston	SMU
2018 Record	7-10, 0-5 The American	13-7, 0-5 The American	6-9, 3-2 The American
Series		UH leads 27-15	SMU leads 15-5
Last Meeting/2017		Houston 3-0 win (@Houston)	SMU 3-0 win (@Dallas)
Kills Leader	Hannah Flowers, 215	Megan Duncan, 212	Brittany Adams, 168
Assists Leader	Molly Murrihy, 557	Abby Irvine, 405	Kendall Patterson, 331
Digs Leader	Kaitlyn Gehler, 196	Katie Karbo, 364	Montana Watts, 298
Blocks Leader	Kelsey Walter, 74	Kendall Haywood, 82	Lexi Nordmann, 61
Aces Leader	Hannah Flowers, 29	Katie Krebs, 23	Kendall Patterson, 14

Head coach Sean Burdette comments
"It's great to be playing at home again. It's good to be home with some exams coming up, and we can focus on the academic side. (Being at home) also gives us a chance to tune up for some tough road trips ahead of us.

"Both opponents this weekend are physical and have good ball control. Everybody in our conference is physical. It's about us putting plays together. We see it there on film, but we just need to keep tying them together and not give points away. The biggest thing for us is maintaining composure, continue to score and do it consistently."

Tigers Tidbits

Memphis and Houston played only once in 2017, and the Cougars' 3-0 victory ended a Tigers' five-match win streak in the series. Memphis' five-match win streak included season sweeps of Houston in 2015 and 2016.
One Tiger will be facing the hometown team this weekend. Senior Kelsey Walter calls Dallas home, and on Sunday, Memphis faces SMU, which is located in "The Big D."
Friday's match with Houston will be a reunion for two international players. Memphis' Agnes Karm and Houston's Silvia Pertens both hail from Estonia and attended the Audentes School in Tallinn, Estonia. Pertens, a sophomore, has played in all 20 matches for the Cougars. Karm, a freshman who arrived on campus just as the season started, has not seen any action this season to date.
This weekend concludes a five-match homestand for the Tigers. Memphis hosted USF and UCF Sept. 28 and 30 and faced Tulane Oct. 5. The Tigers close the homestand against Houston Oct. 12 and SMU Oct. 14. It is the Tigers' longest conference homestand since 2008 when they played six-straight home league matches.
This week, four Tigers rank in the top-10 in five statistical categories in The American, and they are: Hannah Flowers (7^th) in hitting percentage; Flowers (5^th) and Kelsea Bivins (9^th) in kills; Molly Murrihy (2^nd) in assists; Flowers (1^st) in service aces; and Kelsey Walter (3^rd) in total blocks.