SIU Saluki Invitational Tournament Page
2011Memphis Volleyball Notes #3
Sept. 7, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -The University of Memphis volleyball team travels to Carbondale, Ill. this weekend to compete in the Saluki Invitational, hosted by Southern Illinois.
The Tigers (5-2) will look to rebound after dropping two out of three games last weekend in the USF Asics/Powerade Challenge. Memphis swept Providence to start the event before losing to Columbia (1-3) and tournament-host San Francisco (2-3).
Marija Jovanovic was named to the event's all-tournament team after turning in a double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs in the championship games against the Dons, while Altrese Hawkins recorded a season-high 27 kills in the loss to Columbia.
This weekend, the Tigers will take on Green Bay at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 and then play two games Saturday, Sept. 10 against Murray State (10 a.m.) and SIU (7:30 p.m.). All game times are central.
Friday, September 9
Match 1: 5:00 p.m. Memphis vs. Green Bay (Live Stats) (Live Blog)
Match 2: 7:30 p.m. Southern Illinois vs. Murray State
Saturday, September 10
Match 3: 10:30 a.m. Murray State vs. Memphis (Live Stats) (Live Blog)
Match 4: 1:00 p.m. Southern Illinois vs. Green Bay
Match 5: 5:00 p.m. Murray State vs. Green Bay
Match 6: 7:30 p.m. Southern Illinois vs. Memphis (Live Stats) (Live Blog)
WEEKLY NOTES
All-Tournament Performance
Marija Jovanovic was named to the USF Asics/Powerade All-Tournament team after turning in a double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs in the Tigers' five-set loss to San Francisco in the event's championship match. This is the second all-tournament honor this season for Jovanovic, who was also selected to the Memphis Invitational All-Tournament squad.
Players of the Week
After a successful first weekend, Altrese Hawkins and Hajnalka Molnar were eached honored by Conference USA as the Offensive Player of the Week and Setter of the Week, respectively.
• Hawkins was named the Memphis Invitational Most Valuable Player after leading the Tigers to four-straight victories. She averaged 4.27 kills per set, including hitting .630 against SEMO en route to leading the Tigers to their 800th program win. For the weekend, she was credited with a .383 hitting efficiency (64K, 13E, 133TA). Hawkins collects her third career Offensive Player of the Week honor.
• Molnar averaged a league-best 13.27 assists per set and posted 35 digs in four matches. The junior played every point in the Tigers' four-straight victories in the Memphis Invitational, leading them to their 800th program win over Southeast Missouri on Friday. This is Molnar's first career Setter of the Week honor.
Week in Review (Aug. 29-Sept. 4)
The Tigers traveled to San Francisco, Calif. to play in the USF Asics/Powerade Challenge where they won against Providence (3-0) and suffered losses to Columbia (1-3) and San Francisco (2-3). Marija Jovanovic was named to the all-tournament team after turning in a double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs against USF. Altrese Hawkins also set a new season-high with 27 kills in the 3-1 loss to Columbia.
Grand Approach
With seven games under her belt this season, Altrese Hawkins is only 71 kills shy of becoming the 21st player in Memphis Volleyball history to record more than 1,000 kills.
From Serbia with Love
The 2011 Tigers, much like the 2010 team, will have a very European feel. The roster features five players from Serbia (Jovana Barisic, Vesna Jelic, Marija Jovanovic, Maja Kostic, Aleksandra Petronijevic) and one from Hungary (Hajnalka Molnar). Assistant coach Marko Majstorovic is also from Serbia. Five of the six players had a major impact in Memphis' first tournament weekend.
• Jelic recorded 40 digs and 32 kills during the Memphis Invitational, including a double-double of 11 kills and 13 digs in the championship match against Georgia State.
• Jovanovic was named a member of the Memphis Invitational all-tournament team after downing 55 (3.67 k/s) kills and coming up with 31 digs. She held a .300 hitting percentage and posted a double-double of 15 kills and 16 digs in the championship match against Georgia State. Jovanovic was named to the USF Asics/Powerade All-Tournament team after turning in a double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs in the Tigers' five-set loss to San Francisco in the event's championship match.
• Petronijevic posted 75 total digs during the Memphis Invitational, including a career-high 29 in the championship match against Georgia State. The 29 digs in a single match ties Christine Bach and Christen Clayton for ninth all-time. Petronijevic was also named to the all-tournament team.
• Molnar was named C-USA's Setter of the Week after a solid performance throughout the Memphis Invitational. The redshirt junior recorded 199 total assists, including 61 in the championship match against Georgia State to lead the Tigers to four-straight victories.
• Kostic posted nine kills and 35 digs while seeing time in 13 sets throughout the Memphis Invitational. She also recorded eight service aces.
