Volleyball Goes Through First Scrimmage Saturday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Four days into preseason camp, the 2018 University of Memphis volleyball team held its first intrasquad scrimmage at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Saturday. It was the Tigers' first trip to the Elma Roane Fieldhouse this preseason, as the Finch Center is volleyball's new home for practices.

Memphis holds its second preseason warm-up, the Blue-Gray Scrimmage, at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse next Saturday, Aug. 18. The scrimmage begins at 1 p.m. (CT) and is open to the public.

Below are some comments from first-year head coach Sean Burdette on today's first scrimmage.

Burdette's Quick-Takes/Preseason Scrimmage 1

Q: What were your general thoughts on the first preseason scrimmage?

A: It was a great day to get out here, get into the (Elma Roane) Fieldhouse and play where we're going to compete all season. We had a little jitters putting on the jersey for the first time and playing that first set, but we settled in really well. We got some good play from multiple players.

Q: What were the positives from today's scrimmage?

A: We served the ball well at times. We put the other team out of system, and that was done from both sides of the net. We attacked the ball very well, but there were some things that stood out that we need to work on such as blocking, team defense. We need to get everybody on the same page.

Q: What are the areas that need work going forward in the preseason?

A: We need to make sure our overall communication stays consistent. We want to do a good job defensively because we want that to be the "heart-and-soul" of what we do this year. We want to keep balls off the floor. Offensively, we've got some good firepower.

Q: After the scrimmage, you asked for feedback from the players. Have you always done that with your teams?

A: It's always good to get their input. They can talk about things they saw. They see things differently on the court, so it's good to everyone's opinions. We do that in practices, scrimmages, matches. It's extremely valuable for the players to hear from each other and talk about what they went through and saw out there.

Q: How much of your offensive and defensive systems have you implemented so far?

A: We've been implementing from Day One, but it's been small steps so far. First, we wanted to get everybody together and see what everyone is capable of. We're going to hone it further after this scrimmage and add to our plan. Every week our plan evolves and moves forward. We have some good things to go forward with this week to get to next Saturday's Blue-Gray scrimmage.

Q: And, the countdown to the season opener is 13 days away …

A: It's coming fast. There's going to be a level of excitement building. We just have to be ready for that first serve August 24.

University of Memphis Athletics

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