Memphis Treks to Tulane and Houston for Weekend Road Trip

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Before the Memphis Tigers (8-10, 1-5) begin a five-match homestand, they'll spend the weekend on the road with a Friday night clash at Tulane (11-7, 4-2) and a Sunday matinee at Houston (15-3, 5-1). Both matches will be available on ESPN+.

The weekend begins with the Green Wave Friday night, a team that the Tigers dropped both matches to on the road last season. Tulane is off to a strong start in conference play this season with road wins at Wichita State, Temple, and USF. The Green Wave's only conference losses have been to the two teams atop the American Athletic Conference standings in UCF and Houston. Tulane is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.234) but ranks near the bottom of the conference in assists, blocks, and digs. The Green Wave have three players in the top 15 in the AAC in hitting percentage (Anna Davis, Kayla Dinkins, and Yvette Bercescu), while freshman Michelle Urquhart leads the conference in service aces with 0.48 per set.

The Tigers and Green Wave have met 51 times dating back to 1979. Memphis holds a 30-21 lead in the all-time series, but Tulane has dominated in recent memory. The Green Wave have won five of the last six meetings between the two programs, with Memphis' lone win since 2017 coming at home, Nov. 17, 2019. Memphis controlled the series in the early to mid 2010's with a stretch of eight straight wins, the longest win streak in the series' history.

Sunday, the Tigers take on arguably the top team in the AAC, as the Cougars sit second in the AAC standings but have a better overall record than UCF. The Cougars matched up with five Power Five opponents in non-conference action, with wins over Oregon State, Oklahoma, and Mississippi State, but followed with losses at Texas A&M and Alabama. Houston opened AAC action with a home loss to Tulsa but has run off five straight wins since, which included a five-set road win at UCF last Friday. The Cougars rank fourth in the AAC in hitting percentage (.221) and pace the league in service aces per set (1.89) and opponents hitting percentage (.173), 18 points better than second place Wichita State. The Cougars also sit in the top half of the conference in assists per set, kills per set, and blocks per set. Junior Rachel Tullos is fourth in the conference with a .336 hitting percentage, while junior Abbie Jackson is second in the league with 3.83 kills per set. Sophomore Annie Cook is second in the AAC with both 9.94 assists per set and 0.39 service aces per set. Sophomore Kate Georgiades leads the American with 5.37 digs per set.

Memphis and Houston have met 45 times dating back to 1987, with the Cougars victorious 29 times to Memphis' 16 wins. Houston has won five straight meetings, which includes both matches in Houston last season. Memphis' last win over the Cougars was at home, Oct. 12, 2018. Memphis dropped a heartbreaker in the first matchup last year, as the Cougars rallied from a two-set deficit to win in five sets.

NOTABLES

Memphis sits fourth in the AAC in opponents hitting percentage (.195)
The Tigers are third in the American in assists per set (11.97), fourth in kills per set (12.86), and second in digs per set (16.75)
Senior Miaya Smith ranks seven in the conference in hitting percentage (.314) and 10^th in kills per set (2.94)
Senior Sabrina Bianco continues to pace the league in assists per set (10.28), the only AAC player averaging double-digit assists per set
Sophomore Bailey Houlihan's 4.81 digs per set sit second in the conference to Houston's Georgiades

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Volleyball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Memphis Treks to Tulane and Houston for Weekend Road Trip

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sabrina Bianco

Bailey Houlihan

Miaya Smith

University of Memphis Athletics