Newcomers Lead the Way as Tigers Volleyball Opens Season with Victory over SIU

Friday, January 22

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

1-0,0-0AAC

Southern Illinois

0-1,0-0MVC

Southern Ill.

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Newcomers Lead the Way as Tigers Volleyball Opens Season with Victory over SIU

Jan 22, 2021 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In the first official match at the Larry O. Finch Center, freshman and newcomers powered the Memphis Tigers (1-0, 0-0) to a 3-1 victory over Southern Illinois (0-1, 0-0). Memphis dominated the first two sets, but the Salukis didn't go down without a fight, as they won the third set and pushed the Tigers to the limit in the fourth and final set.

"It's been a long time, and I can't thank everyone enough, from our administration to our athletic trainers, to everyone else, and our players with all of the support that they've had," said head coach Sean Burdette. "It was great to be back out here, allow everyone to do what they love to do on the court, and at the end of the day, just go compete."

The Tigers won their opener 25-13, 25-21, 18-25, and 25-21. Freshman Sam Drewry led all players with 20 kills, while fellow freshman Bailey Houlihan led all players with 25 digs. Junior Sabrina Bianco's 45 assists led both teams as well. Drewry and Bianco each posted a double-double in the victory.

"Coming back in that final set starts to tell you about the team," said Burdette. "You always see things in practice and hope that it will translate, but it's tough to gauge when you're just playing against yourself. This was such a great team effort."

First Set

After Southern Illinois won the opening point, Memphis ran off six straight points and won 10 of the next 11 for an early 10-2 lead
Kinkaid Padgett's ace, the first for a Tigers player this season, made it 15-4 Memphis
Drewry's third kill of the opening set put Memphis in front 20-9
Junior Miaya Smith gave Memphis the first set victory with the kill

Second Set

Drewry opened up the set with a kill, one of her six in the set
The set featured seven ties, while Memphis took the lead for good on an ace by Padgett that made it 13-12
Southern Illinois used a quick 3-0 run to pull within two at 21-19
The Salukis used a timeout at set point for Memphis, but the Tigers won the set 25-21 two points later on a kill from sophomore Gigi Crescenzo

Third Set

Early kills from Drewry and Smith had the Tigers within a point, trailing 8-7
Southern Illinois took its largest lead of the match on a three-point run that made it 10-7
Drewry recorded three consecutive kills that pulled the Tigers within one at 11-10
The Salukis extended their lead to a then match-high seven points at 21-14
Southern Illinois closed out the set on a kill from Savannah Sheridan

Fourth Set

SIU jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, highlighted by consecutive service aces from Rachel Maguire
The Tigers won 10 of the next 15 points to square the set at 10-10, one of nine ties in the set
Trailing 20-18, Memphis rattled off four consecutive points and took the lead for good at 21-20 on Drewry's 20^th kill of the match
Jada Birkel secured Memphis' victory with a kill that snuck inside the back line, one of her four kills in the only set she appeared in

Tigers Tidbits

Memphis opened up the Larry O. Finch Center with a victory
This is the second consecutive season that the Tigers have opened with a win
It was the fifth win for the Tigers in the past six matchups with SIU
Five Tigers made their Memphis debut (Drewry, Hamilton, Houlihan, Robertson, and Smith)
Memphis' top three players in kills all made their Tigers debut Friday night
After just one tie and one lead change in the first set, there were 24 ties and 14 lead changes over the final three sets
Bianco tallied 45 assists; the 10^th time she's hit at least that mark in 29 career matches
With four blocks, Smith recorded her 31^st career match with three-plus blocks, with the first 30 coming while at Christian Brothers University

Up Next
The Tigers and Salukis return to the Larry O. Finch Center Saturday evening for the second of two matches between the two schools this weekend. The action starts at 5 p.m. (CT). No fans are allowed at this weekend's matches.