Tigers drop heartbreaking five-set thriller in Houston

Friday, March 12

Houston, Texas

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

5-6,2-5AAC

Houston

11-2,7-0AAC

Memphis

Houston

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Tigers drop heartbreaking five-set thriller in Houston

Mar 12, 2021 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas – For the third match in a row, the Memphis Tigers went into an AAC opponent's arena and nearly came away with their third straight road win. After consecutive victories at Wichita State last week, the Tigers took a 2-0 lead on Friday at Houston before the Cougars rallied back to send the match to a fifth set, fight off multiple match points in the fifth, and complete the rally 25-22, 27-25, 16-25, 23-25, 15-17. The comeback win for Houston sets up a chance for the Cougars to clinch a spot in the AAC Championship with a win on Saturday.

Outside of the third set, the Tigers and Cougars battled back and forth all night, with both teams rarely holding a lead of more than three points. Houston went on a 5-1 run midway through the opening set to take a 16-11 advantage, but the Tigers won seven of the next nine points to level the set 18-18. After the teams were tied 20-20, the Tigers won four of the next six points to set up set point, and an attack error by the Cougars gave Memphis the 25-22 win and a 1-0 advantage.

The second set started close at 5-4 Memphis before the Cougars went on a 5-0 run. Memphis spent the next 26 points clawing its way back into the match. Houston had built the lead back up to four at 18-14 before a 3-0 Memphis run trimmed the gap to one. The Tigers tied the match 20-20 and later fought off set point at 24-23. At 25-24 Memphis, Abbie Jackson kept Houston alive with a kill, but Gigi Crescenzo followed with consecutive finishes, two of her team-high 13, which put Memphis in front 2-0 with a 27-25 win.

The Cougars controlled the third set from the get-go and applied plenty of pressure to extend the match. Early 4-1 and 6-2 leads gave Houston some distance, but the Tigers fought back to get within a point on four different occasions, though they never tied or took the lead. At 11-10 Houston, the Cougars went on a 7-0 run that put the set on ice 18-10. From that point forward, the Tigers didn't get closer than six points, as the Cougars took the set 25-16.

Set four didn't see either team take a commanding advantage, though runs from both sides highlighted the first part of the set. Memphis started the set up 3-1 before Houston rattled off five straight points. Later in the set, Memphis turned a 12-9 deficit into a tie on a kill from Sam Drewry and a pair of Houston attack errors. The teams traded points until the set was level 19-19 before Memphis took the lead on an error by Annie Cooke. The teams then traded points once again until it was 22-22 before the Cougars took the lead on an attack error by Drewry. Miaya Smith tied the set with one of her eight kills of the night, but the Cougars got set point on a kill from Isabel Theut and won the set on a service ace from Abby Irvine. Houston leveled the match 2-2 with a 25-23 win.

The Tigers went to the fifth set in hopes of avoiding the same fate they handed to Wichita State last week, down 2-0 before rattling off three straight sets for the come from behind win. For most of the fifth set, it looked like the Tigers were going to avoid that fate and hand Houston its first conference loss of the season. After the Tigers held Houston to a .206 hitting percentage or worse in each of the first three sets, the Cougars, who lead the league in kills per set, hit .255 and .259 respectively in the final two sets.

An ace from Andrea O'Connor gave Memphis an early 3-1 edge, while consecutive kills from Autumn Hamilton and Crescenzo put the Tigers ahead 5-2. After a point for the Cougars, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run highlighted by three straight Houston attack errors, as Memphis led 9-3. A kill later in the set from Elizabeth Orf pushed the Memphis lead back to five at 11-6, but the Cougars answered with a 3-0 run that included two of Jackson's match-high 26 kills. Another kill from Orf made it 12-9 Memphis, but Houston followed with four straight points that included another two kills from Jackson that made it 13-12 Houston. A kill from Crescenzo followed by a Houston attack error gave the Tigers match point at 14-13, but another Jackson kill extended the match. Yet another kill from Crescenzo made it 15-14 Memphis and set up match point #2, but once again, Jackson answered with a kill that tied the set 15-15. Kortlyn Henderson picked up a kill that gave Houston its first match point of the night, while an attack error by Smith gave Houston the 17-15 fifth set win and the 3-2 match win.

Tigers Tidbits

Friday was the fourth consecutive loss for Memphis against Houston overall and the fourth straight loss in Houston for the Tigers
- Memphis won on Oct. 12, 2018 at home, last win at Houston Nov. 13, 2016
Reigning AAC Honor Roll member Sabrina Bianco recorded her eighth double-double of the season (45 assists, 21 digs), the sixth double-double for the setter in the last seven matches
Sam Drewry tallied her third straight double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs
Gigi Crescenzo also put together her third straight double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs

Up Next
The Tigers won't have long to try to bounce back from Friday's tough defeat, as they'll remain in Houston and face the Cougars at 2 p.m. tomorrow. It will be the final road match of the season for Memphis, as the Tigers have next weekend off before two matches against SMU at home March 26-27 with potential postseason play to follow.