Tigers Battle but Fall in Five Sets to Cincinnati

Sunday, October 31

Memphis, Tenn.

1 P.M.

University of Memphis

10-14,3-9AAC

Cincinnati

13-7,8-4AAC

Cincinnati

Memphis

Oct 31, 2021 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers (10-14, 3-9) looked to make it a perfect weekend after Friday's victory over East Carolina, but despite a 2-1 set lead Sunday against the Cincinnati Bearcats (13-7, 8-4), the Tigers saw the visitors win the final three sets and hand Memphis a weekend split.

Memphis 2, Cincinnati 3
16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 12-15

Set 1

Cincinnati pushed the lead to 11-7 before Memphis rallied for six straight points
After the Tigers took a 14-13 lead, the Bearcats answered with five consecutive points as part of a 10-1 run

Set 2

Neither side led by more than three until a Memphis 5-0 run put the Tigers in front 15-9
Cincinnati didn't get closer than five from that point and trailed by as many as nine

Set 3

Memphis jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never trailed, though the set featured four ties
The Bearcats tied the set 10-10, 13-13, and 19-19
After a timeout at 19-19, Memphis scored six of the set's final eight points to take a 2-1 set lead
Memphis hit .341 as a team in the set, the best mark by either team in any of the five sets

Set 4

The Bearcats turned an early 5-3 deficit into a 12-8 lead with an extended 9-3 run
Memphis pulled back within one at 16-15 on a kill by Miaya Smith, but the Tigers were never able to tie or take the lead
After a 4-0 Cincinnati run made it 20-15 Bearcats and the Tigers didn't get any closer than four

Set 5

Neither team led by more than two points until Cincinnati's 3-0 run put the Bearcats in front 10-7
The Tigers got within two at 10-8 and 14-12, but Abby Walker's match-high 20^th kill of the day gave Cincinnati the win

NOTABLES

Miaya Smith's team-high 17 kills were her most in a match for the Tigers; she had 20 kills for Christian Brothers University in 2018
With 12 kills and 13 digs, Tabytha Toelke recorded her second consecutive double-double and her fourth of the season
Sabrina Bianco tallied a team-high 49 assists and match-high 21 digs for her second straight double-double

UP NEXT

The Tigers will wrap up their five-match homestand Wednesday at 1 p.m. vs. SMU on ESPN+
Memphis will then play three straight on the road vs. Temple, UCF, and USF

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.