Oct. 6, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis volleyball squad will face its lone midweek test of the 2008 season on Tues., Oct. 7, when it travels to Jonesboro, Ark., to face the Arkansas State RedWolves. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at ASU's Convocation Center.

Winners of four of its last six, Memphis carries a 12-6 record into the midweek tilt. For the second consecutive week the Tigers split C-USA weekend action, dropping a tough 3-1 decision to Tulane of Friday night, but bouncing back to cruise to a four-game win over UTEP.

Memphis' offense has sputtered at times and hits .206 on the year. Junior right side hitter Rebekah Strickland has come on strong as of late and leads the team with 2.66 kills per set and a .316 attack percentage. Sophomore Katlin Inglish has put away a team-best 181 kills. The offense is run by senior setter Laura Côté. Côté has 694 assists and averages 9.91 per set. She needs just 199 more assists to take over as Memphis' all-time leading setter. Côté currently has 5,454 assists and trails only Clare Dirksen's 5,653 assists from 1986-89.

The Tigers have a strong block at the net led by the country's leading blocker Emily Underwood. The 6-3 middle blocker registers 1.73 rejections per set and has 121 total blocks. She is flanked by freshman middle Carolyn Baker, who has settled into the college game and has led the team in blocking the last two contests. Libero Christine Bach's 4.40 digs per period is tops among the Tiger defenders.

Scouting Arkansas State
Arkansas State swept Sun Belt action this weekend with wins at South Alabama and Troy, pushing its record to an impressive 14-4. The RedWolves have won four-straight, and eight of the last nine matches. ASU has been an all-around solid team, ranking among the top teams in the country in kills per set (13.90) and digs per set (15.63). Four RedWolves players rank nationally in their respective categories. Junior outside hitter Konae Purcell leads the way offensively with 222 kills. Her 4.19 kills per set is sixth in the nation. She is assisted by setter Laura Bennett. Bennett is 10th nationally in assists per game with 11.23. Freshman middle blocker Cayla Fielder hits .377 on the year, good for 43rd in the nation.

The A-State defense has been strong, limiting opponents to a .153 attack percentage and less than 10 kills per set. Junior libero Erin Neeley's 250 total digs and 4.39 digs per set average rates as the nation's 37th highest backrow production this season. Led by Fielder's team-best 56 blocks, ASU blocks 2.03 attacks per game.

All-Time Series vs. the RedWolves
Tuesday's match is the 53rd of the all-time series between Memphis and Arkansas State. The series has been an even one since its beginning in the 1977 season. Since then, the Tigers have won 29 of the 52 matches played between the two institutions. However, it has been A-State that has been the successful program in the series from 1991-2007. In those 16 matches, the RedWolves have a 14-2 record against Memphis. The Tigers lone wins came in the 2002 season sweep of the ASU. Memphis dominated the first half of the series (1977-1990), 27-9.