Memphis Heads South for Matchups with UCF and South Florida

Thursday, November 11

Orlando, Fla.

6 P.M.

University of Memphis

UCF

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Memphis Heads South for Matchups with UCF and South Florida

Nov 10, 2021 | Women's Volleyball

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Fresh off of a 2-0 week in American Athletic Conference play, the Memphis Tigers (12-14, 5-9) will head to the state of Florida for matches Thursday and Saturday vs. the UCF Knights (20-6, 13-1) and the South Florida Bulls (6-19, 0-14) respectively. UCF sits atop the AAC standings, two games ahead of Houston, while South Florida is the only winless team in conference play.

UCF has been nearly perfect in conference action this season, with the Knights' only loss a five-setter against Houston. UCF enters the weekend on a nine-match win streak, which includes a 3-0 shutout win over the Tigers in Memphis Oct. 24. The Knights lead the conference with a .275 hitting percentage and are second defensively as opponents have hit just .186. UCF leads the league in kills per set, blocks per set, and service aces per set, and sits second in assists per set. Junior Claudio Dillon is second in the AAC with a .376 hitting percentage, senior Anne-Marie Watson is fourth with a .327 hitting percentage, while seniors Nerissa Moravec and reigning AAC Player of the Year McKenna Melville are also both in the top 16. Melville leads the conference with 4.92 kills per set, while Moravec leads the AAC with 1.31 blocks per set.

The Knights lead the all-time series 24-13 dating back to 1979, which includes a 12-7 record on their home court. UCF has won seven straight matchups between the two programs and 13 of the last 14. Memphis last won in Orlando Nov. 20, 2015. In the matchup between the two schools in Memphis earlier this season, UCF hit .351 compared to Memphis' .141, while Melville led the way with a match-high 19 kills. For the Tigers, Gigi Crescenzo posted a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.

Memphis will go from one end of the conference standings to the other, moving from first place UCF to last place South Florida. Four of the Bulls' 14 conference losses have come in five sets, which included a five-set loss to the Tigers in Memphis Oct. 22. The Bulls have lost all eight matches that they've played at home and have lost five straight matches in either three or four sets. South Florida is last in the AAC in hitting percentage (.162) and eighth in opponents hitting percentage (.221). The Bulls rank towards the bottom of the conference in assists and kills, and sit last in digs per set. Freshman Amiree Hendricks-Walker is 13^th in the AAC in hitting percentage (.294), while freshman Marta Cvitkovic is ninth in the conference averaging 3.06 kills per set. Cvitkovic also ranks third in the AAC with 0.39 aces per set.

South Florida leads the all-time series with Memphis 20-12 dating back to 1988. The Tigers have won two straight matchups after the Bulls had taken three straight in the all-time series. The Bulls hold a 12-3 edge in matches between the programs on their home court and have won each of the past three meetings in Tampa. In Memphis' five-set win over the Bulls earlier this season, the Tigers got double digit kills from Elizabeth Orf (11), Miaya Smith (10), and Crescenzo (10). Memphis also had four players with at least 10 digs in the win.

NOTABLES

Memphis has held opponents to a .204 hitting percentage, the fourth best mark in the AAC
The Tigers are second in the AAC with 16.30 digs per set, paced by sophomore Bailey Houlihan, who is third in the AAC with 4.54 digs per set
Senior Sabrina Bianco sits second in the conference in assists per set (10.04), while senior Miaya Smith is among the top 15 in the AAC in both hitting percentage and kills per set

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.