University of Memphis
3-1,0-0American
Denver
2-1,0-0Summit League
Tigers Drop Five-Set Match to Denver in Opening Night of Denver Classic
Sep 04, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
DENVER – Memphis (3-1) opened play at the Denver Classic with a hard-fought five-set loss to the host Pioneers (2-1) on Thursday night inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the opening set, Denver used an 8-1 run with five Memphis attack errors to gain control in the early stages of the match. Memphis had a negative hitting percentage in a first set that saw Denver win by a score of 25-13. Jamia Johnson, Genevieve Lewis and Alicia Thibodeau paced the Pioneer offense with three kills each in the opening set.
Memphis put up a closer fight in the second set with a balanced attack, led by four kills by Amanda Hardt in the set. However, the Pioneers pulled away late with an 11-5 run with offensive production from Johnson and Ava Reynolds.
The Tigers responded in the third, battling point-for-point with Denver before taking control late in the set. Hardt continued her strong performance with five kills, including the set-clinching kill. Abigail Schlueter helped the defense with four digs in the set to give Memphis a 25-22 set win and avoid a sweep.
In the fourth set, Memphis started out strong with a 7-2 lead and held off multiple attempted runs by the Pioneers. The Tigers stretched the lead to as much as seven as they ended the set on a three-point run to tie the match at two sets a piece. In the fourth set, Hardt contributed four kills and Zaniah Hoskins added five points (three kills, two aces).
During the final set, Denver gained control with a 6-point run early in the set to make the score 7-2. The Tigers fought to rally back, but Denver closed out the set 15-7 to win the match.
NOTABLES
· Amanda Hardt and Zaniah Hoskins reached double-digits in kills, as Hardt registered 16 and Hoskins had 11.
· Maddy Bach tied her career high in assists with 34, marking the fourth time this season with 30-plus assists in a match.
· Amanda Hardt, Janyah Henderson and Zaniah Hoskins all recorded double-digit point performances, marking the first time this season that three Tigers have had 10 or more points in a single match.
· Abigail Schlueter led the team in digs with 12, matching her season high.
· Janyah Henderson had one solo block and a team-best seven block assists at the net.
UP NEXT
Memphis returns tomorrow for the second day of the Denver Classic against Idaho State at 5 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. CT on Midco Sports Plus Network.
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.
