Nov. 20, 2008

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -

No. 11 UTEP 3, No. 6 Memphis 2

What started as a runaway turned into a slugfest and finally ended with a Tigers' miscue as 11th-seeded UTEP outlasted host Memphis in a five-set marathon in the final match of the opening day of the 2008 Conference USA Volleyball Championship Thursday evening at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

"I have to give credit to UTEP for playing a good match," said Memphis head coach April Jauregui. "We weren't looking forward to playing them because they are really a much stronger team than their record indicated. They really came on strong late in the season. Our girls came out strong and we fought hard but we struggled in some areas, putting balls down on the outside. It was really a game of inches. One call one way and another call the other way and that came would have went in our favor. But, I do feel the girls left their heart out on the floor. The future is really bright for Tiger volleyball. I wish all the rest of the teams the best of luck in the tournament."

Memphis took the first and third sets 25-13 and 25-19 while UTEP took the second and fourth stanzas 25-19 and 25-21 to set up the match-deciding contest. Both teams gave it their all, but the Miners took an early lead and out-lasted a furious Tiger rally to claim a 18-16 victory to improve to 8-23 on the year. The win was UTEP's first conference road win of 2008 and marked the first time the Miners won a five-set match all year. Memphis ends the season at 17-14.

UTEP advances to play No. 3 seed Rice on Friday at 7 p.m. Memphis, meanwhile, becomes the first host team to drop its opening-round contest since Rice fell in five to 11th-seeded Tulane in 2005 at Autry Court. The Tigers set a C-USA Championship record with season-best 18 aces, but the Miners out-blocked Memphis, 9.0-4.0, and tallied a .312 attack percentage to the home team's .241 mark.

With the match knotted at two sets each, UTEP took an 8-4 advantage prior to the customary bench switch. Memphis used a 4-0 rally to tie things up, and it would be that way again at 13-all. UTEP staved off a pair of match points and squandered one of their own, but with the score tied at 16-16, Amy Sanders gave the Miners match-point with a kill and a mis-hit by Memphis' Emily Underwood spelled doom for the Tigers.

The Tigers' ace total surpassed the former tournament record of 15 set by Charlotte vs. Southern Miss on Nov. 16, 2000, and tied by Tulsa vs. SMU on Nov. 17, 2006 and by Marshall vs. Tulsa on Nov. 17, 2007.

Catherine Chavez led the UTEP attack with 17 kills while Sanders was close behind with 16. Patty Jarmoc had 45 of the Miners' 57 assists, Chavez and Sanders posted double-doubles with 11 digs each, and the duo of Keisha Hyman-Gifth and Irma Blanco four block assists apiece to lead the UTEP front-line defense.

Memphis' Rebekah Strickland tied Chavez for match-high kills honors with 17 of her own while Underwood and Carolyn Baker tallied 13 and 10, respectively. Laura Coté led all players with a match-best 48 assists, Christine Bach tallied a match-best 16 digs, and Strickland led the Miners' net defenders with one solo block and a pair of block assists.