Volleyball Preview: Cincinnati, ECU

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis volleyball team returns back home to the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Oct. 26-28 after a short road trip last weekend. The Tigers host Cincinnati Friday and ECU Sunday in American Athletic Conference action.

This weekend ends a stretch in which Memphis played seven of nine matches at home. The last time Memphis has had a stretch like this in conference play was in 2008 when the Tigers played eight of their final 10 league matches at home.

Memphis' American Athletic Conference Home Weekend

Date/Day	Opponent	Time (CT)
Oct. 26/Friday	Cincinnati (Mighty Sound of the South Pep Band)	7 p.m.
Oct. 28/Sunday	ECU (Halloween Party/Pouncer Pals)	1 p.m.

Memphis/Opponent Breakdown

	Memphis	Cincinnati	ECU
2018 Record	10-11, 3-6 The American	18-5, 8-1 The American	12-8, 4-5 The American
Series		Cincinnati leads 31-21	Memphis leads 21-8
Last Meeting/2017		Cincinnati 3-0 win (@Cincinnati)	ECU 3-0 win (@Greenville)
Kills Leader	Hannah Flowers, 281	Jordan Thompson, 571	Toya Osuegbu, 160
Assists Leader	Molly Murrihy, 709	Armania Heckenmueller, 567	Shelby Martin, 543
Digs Leader	Kaitlyn Gehler, 258	Abby Williams, 290	Maggie Hallow, 290
Blocks Leader	Kelsey Walter, 97	Dasha Cabarkapa, 96	S'mara Riley, 58
Aces Leader	Hannah Flowers, 35	Jordan Thompson, 36	Aiden Willis, 13

Head coach Sean Burdette comments
"We've got a lot of prep work with Cincinnati and ECU coming here. Cincinnati has one of the best players in the country. It's great to play against phenomenal players, but Cincinnati is not just a one-person show. They've got a really good group. Jordan Thompson is the best attacker, leading the nation in kills and points scored, and they have a lot of good pieces around her. I've also taken a sneak-peak at ECU, and they have several new faces. This weekend is the first time we've faced both of these teams this year."

Tigers Tidbits

The Tigers have won three of their last four matches with victories over Houston, SMU and Connecticut. The last time Memphis had a three-wins-in-four-matches stretch was two years ago (2016). The Tigers won three-straight home matches over Tulsa, Houston and Tulane before falling to Temple on the road.
When Memphis and ECU meet Sunday, the match could be a long affair. Four of the last eight match-ups have gone the distance, with the Tigers and Pirates each winning two five-setters.
Friday's Memphis-Cincinnati encounter features two of the league's top hitters and servers. Memphis' Hannah Flowers is fourth in kills, fifth in hitting percentage and first in aces. For the Bearcats, Jordan Thompson is first in kills, second in hitting percentage and third in aces.
Friday's match also features two of the conference's top blockers. The Tigers' Kelsey Walter is second in the league in total blocks, and the Bearcats' Darsha Cabarkapa is 10^th.
Speaking of Kelsey Walter and blocks, the senior is three blocks away from reaching 100 for the season. When she collects her 100^th block, it will be the sixth-straight season the Tigers have had a player with 100 or more blocks.
Sophomore transfer Anna Palmer is in a "digs" groove of late. She has registered double-digit digs in the Tigers' last three matches, including a career-high 20 in a home win over SMU Oct. 14. It is the first time in her career – includes her freshman year at Seattle in 2017 – she had three-consecutive matches with double-figures digs.
This week, three Tigers rank in the top-10 in five statistical categories in The American, and they are: Hannah Flowers (5^th) in hitting percentage; Flowers (4^th) in kills; Molly Murrihy (2^nd) in assists; Flowers (1^st) in service aces; and Kelsey Walter (2^nd) in total blocks.

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Players Mentioned

Kaitlyn Gehler

Molly Murrihy

Anna Palmer

University of Memphis Athletics