Sept. 14, 2011
2011 Memphis Volleyball Notes #4
MEMPHIS, Tenn. –The University of Memphis volleyball team will travel to Greensboro, N.C. this weekend for its final preseason tune-up before conference play at the Spartan Spiketacular.
The Tigers will look to build on their strong play last weekend at the Saluki Invitational, where they swept three matches over Wisconsin-Green Bay, Murray State and Southern Illinois to claim their second tournament title of the season.
Marija Jovanovic led the Tigers as the junior outside hitter played in nearly every rotation en route to being named the event’s MVP. Jovanovic recorded her third double-double of the season (14 kills and 14 digs) to lead Memphis to a 3-0 victory in the championship-clinching match against SIU.
Setter Hajnalka Molnar, who currently leads the NCAA with an average of 12.67 assists per set, was also named to all-tournament team after chipping in 18 helpers in three matches. Altrese Hawkins led the team in kills with 41 and is now just 30 kills away from 1,000 for her career.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday:
Radford vs. Howard - 4 p.m.
UNCG vs. Memphis - 7 p.m. (Live Stats) (Live Blog)
Saturday:
Memphis vs. Radford - 10:30 a.m. (Live Stats) (Live Blog)
UNCG vs. Howard - 1 p.m.
Howard vs. Memphis - 5 p.m. (Live Stats) (Live Blog)
UNCG vs. Radford - 7 p.m.
Nation’s Best
Redshirt-junior Hajnalka Molnar currently leads the NCAA with an average of 12.67 assists per set this season. In all, she has registered 456 assists, including three double-doubles of assists and digs this season. The Tigers are fourth in the nation as a team in assists per set, averaging 13.86.
Career High Weekend
Several Tigers set new career highs during the Saluki Invitational. Redshirt-junior setter Hajnalka Molnar recorded five service aces against Murray State, a career best, while Cassidy Hawkins set a new career-high with a .833 attack percentage against the Racers. Katie Meyer also tied a career high with 10 kills in the opening round game against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Conference Best
Hajnalka Molnar leads Conference USA in assists thus far this season. Molnar has registered 456 helpers (12.67 assists/set) through 10 games and has 52 more assists than the next best setter. Katie Meyer ranks second in hitting percentage, as the sophomore has been attacking at a .420 clip so far this season. Junior outside hitter Altrese Hawkins also comes in second on the C-USA kills list with 152 in 2011. Hawkins’ 27 kills in a 3-1 loss to Columbia are the second most in a single match so far this season.
Killing Machines
The Tigers are currently tops in C-USA in total kills in the 2011 season. Memphis has downed 528 kills (14.67 k/s) so far this year, which is 59 more than second-best UCF. The Tigers’ 62 service aces are also best in Conference USA.
Week in Review (Sept. 5-11)
The Tigers traveled to Carbondale, Ill. and dominated the 2011 Saluki Invitational. Memphis swept its opponents in all three matches on its way to its second tournament title of the 2011 preseason. The Tigers were led by all-tournament performers Hajnalka Molnar and Marija Jovanovic. Jovanovic, who turned in a double-double performance of 14 kills and 14 digs in the championship-clinching match against Southern Illinois, was tabbed as the tournament’s MVP. She has now been selected to the all-tournament team in each of the Tigers’ three preseason tournaments. It was the first all-tournament selection of the 2011 season for Molnar.
Preseason Power
The Tigers are now 8-2 this preseason and have claimed tournament titles at the Memphis Invitational and SIU Saluki Invitational. With one tournament remaining, the Tigers have equaled the amount of tournament titles from the 2010 season.
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.
