Volleyball Preview: Tiger Brawl

Tiger Brawl Tournament Page (Live Stats/Live Stream links)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis volleyball is back in action this weekend hosting its own Tiger Brawl after winning the season-opening EIU Panther Invitational. The Tigers won last weekend's title with three victories.

Starting a season with a 3-0 record has been a good omen for Tigers volleyball in the 21^stcentury. Since the 2000 campaign, Memphis has had 3-0 starts five previous times in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2011. In each of those five seasons, the Tigers posted more than 20 wins, including a 30-win ledger in 2003.

Memphis looks to improve its season-opening win streak in the Tiger Brawl at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sept. 6-7. Joining the Tigers in the two-day tournament are Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Gardner-Webb and UT Martin.

Tiger Brawl Schedule

Date/Day	Match	Time (CT)
Sept. 6/Friday	Gardner-Webb vs. Memphis	10 am
	UT Martin vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff	12:30 pm
	Gardner-Webb vs. UT Martin	4:30 pm
	Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Memphis	7 pm
Sept. 7/Saturday	Gardner-Webb vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff	10 am
	UT Martin vs. Memphis	1 pm

Memphis/Opponents Breakdown

	Memphis	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	Gardner-Webb	UT Martin
2019 Record	3-0	0-3	0-3	1-3
Series	-------	UofM leads 5-0	UofM leads 2-0	UofM Leads 36-6
Kills Leader	Meredith Wallace, 51	Zyaire Garrit, 19	Kylee Garrison, 20	Jessica Reynolds, 52
Assists Leader	Sabrina Bianco, 130	Micayala Pope, 39	Abbey Sprinkle, 34	Kenzie Hinshaw, 133
Digs Leader	Mia Migliore, 48	Zyaire Garrit, 23	Charissa Coleman, 30	Jamie Rys, 39 Kenzie Hinshaw, 39
Blocks Leader	Sabria Cooper, 6	Haley Gomez, 7	Hannah Donaldson, 6	Justine Walker, 15 Ginta Mackeviciute, 15

Head coach Sean Burdette comments
(On last weekend's tournament)
"Certainly, the best birthday gift possible there. I asked for it and I received it. I'm pleased to get back here with three wins. Now, our focus turns to this weekend. We reviewed last weekend, but now we're looking forward.

"Anytime you get road victories, it's big. It's a testament to what our players did in the off-season, working with Coach (Darin) Lovat and him getting them prepared to play in these tournaments. They (tournaments) are tough on the body, and you have to rebound quickly with three matches in a 24-to-36 hour time frame."

(On this weekend's Tiger Brawl)
"We would love for our fans to come out. We play in-state opponent UT Martin, who we had a tough match with last year at their place. We're looking forward to having all three opponents here.

"At this time of the year, everything changes daily. Like last weekend, all three opponents bring something different to the table. UT Martin has great ball control and also has some physical hitters. They move the ball around a lot. Gardner-Webb is coming after a weekend where they are making some adjustments. They have some physical attackers as well."

Tigers Tidbits

The Tigers see two familiar faces in this weekend's Tiger Brawl. Memphis played Arkansas-Pine Bluff and UT Martin in the 2018 campaign. The Tigers defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Memphis Invitational and lost to UT Martin in the Skyhawk Invitational last season. The last time the Tigers faced Gardner-Webb was in 2013.
Memphis is 6-4 in its last 10 home openers. The Tigers dropped their home opener last season, a 3-0 setback to Stephen F. Austin in the Memphis Invitational.
Memphis is looking for its first 6-0 start since 2011. The Tigers are 3-0 this season after winning last weekend's EIU Panther Invitational. In 2011, Memphis started the season 7-0.
The Tigers are looking for their second tournament title of the 2019 season this weekend. Memphis won last weekend's EIU Panther Invitational with victories over Drake, South Dakota State and Eastern Illinois. The last time Memphis won two or more tournament titles in the same season was in 2016 (Tiger Invitational, UAB Fight Like Hal Memorial Invitational).
Nine Tigers newcomers are making their home debuts this weekend.
There's going to be a New Mexico Lobos reunion when Memphis meets UT Martin Saturday. Memphis' Sabrina Bianco and UT Martin's Kayla Long played for the Lobos in 2018. Bianco was New Mexico's primary setter, and Long played at libero/defensive specialist.

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Players Mentioned

Sabrina Bianco

Sabria Cooper

Mia Migliore

Meredith Wallace

University of Memphis Athletics