Aug. 25, 2007

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -

Tennessee Tech 3, Memphis 1
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Tennessee Tech (2-0)      32  30  26  30
Memphis (0-2)             30  28  30  25

Sarah Bury put down a match-high 21 kills, but a .099 hitting percentage and 15 blocks by Tennessee Tech was insurmountable as Memphis dropped a four-game contest to the Golden Eagles Saturday morning in the Louisville Invitational.

Laura Côté handed out a match-best 52 assists, while Shelby Burton added 12 kills and Rachel Theard hit .500 with eight kills. The Tiger defense got 19 digs from Christine Bach to go with 11.5 blocks--seven of which came from Burton and Côté.

Memphis came out strong through the first 20 points of the opening frame and held a six-point lead. Tech then grabbed the momentum and outscored the UofM 14-8 to knot the contest at 28-all. A kill by Burton gave the Tigers a 30-29, but a Golden Eagles block prevented Memphis from closing the frame out. That block was the first point of a three-point rally that gave TTU a 32-30 win in game one.

The Tigers came out flat in the game two and was unable to build a sizeable lead before Tech put up a 7-2 surge to go ahead 17-15. The two teams battled through five ties, but it was Tennessee Tech who gained control with scores on consecutive serves to take a 28-25 lead.

Memphis benefited from five attacking errors by Tennessee Tech to race out to a 9-1 lead early in the third set. Just as in the first two sets, the Tigers saw their lead evaporate to just one point, as they clung to 15-14 lead halfway through the game. Leading 21-20, Sarah Bury ignited a four-point push that put the Tigers up by five points. Memphis extended its cushion to 27-21enroute to a 30-26 win. The Tiger defense force Tech into 12 hitting errors and a .042 attacking clip in the third.

Tech broke a 22-22 tie with five straight points to take control of the final set a win the match. Memphis had its opportunities to extend the contest to a deciding game, scoring the first five points of the game. But TTU battled back and took a 10-9 lead after an attacking error by the Tigers. A triple block by Bury, Burton and Côté gave Memphis its final lead of the morning--12-11. The Golden Eagles then scored on seven of the next nine rallies, including putting together a 4-0 run to push ahead 18-14. The Tigers clawed back to tie the game at 20-20 and again at 22-22 before Tech's game-deciding five-point run. Memphis held Tech to .091 in game four, but negated its defensive efforts with a negative hitting percentage.

The Tigers will take on Coastal Carolina in their final contest of the weekend. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Louisville's Cardinal Arena.

Match Notes
• Christine Bach recorded her second consecutive performance with double-figure digs totals. After makine 23 digs in her first career match vs. No. 26 Louisville, Bach finished with 19 digs vs. Tennessee Tech.
• Three more Tigers saw their first action of the 2007 season. Redshirt freshmen Katlin Inglish and Emily Underwood came on in reserve roles for their collegiate debuts. Sophomore Sarah Chambers came in as a serving substitution in game three.
• Memphis is 0-2 for the first time since Carrie Yerty's inaugural season in 1996.