Oct. 12, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis volleyball team will wrap up a four-match homestand on Tues., Oct. 13 when it hosts the UT Martin Skyhawks at 6 p.m. at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

The Tigers are coming off of their best week of action this year, having gone 2-1 last week. Memphis defeated Central Arkansas for its first home win of the year last Tuesday and followed that up with a sweep of ECU for its first C-USA win of the year Friday.

Maja Jovanovic leads the Tigers with 4.19 kills per set, while fellow freshman Altrese Hawkins is tops on the club with a .289 attack percentage. Hawkins' 206 kills leads the team. In addition to the two freshmen, three other U of M hitters are recording at least 2.00 kills per set. Junior Katlin Inglish has 157 kills and averages 2.38 kills per set, while Lauren Thompson's 149 kills is good for 2.22 terminations a game. Christine Bach runs the offense with 575 assists.

Becky Shaffer continues to lead the Tiger's defensive efforts. The junior has a career-high 310 digs. Bach is second with 202 digs (2.81 dps). Carolyn Baker's 67 total blocks leads the Tigers at the net.

Scouting the UT Martin Skyhawks
UT-Martin brings a 7-11 record into this week's midweek action. The Skyhawks have lost six-straight road matches and are 2-6 overall on the road. UTM dropped a pair of Ohio Valley matches over the weekend and have lost seven of its last eight.

Led by libero Kelsey Elswick's team-high 318 digs (4.97 dps), the Skyhawks are averaging 15 digs per set. Christen Clements and Kelly Hogan average 2.45 and 2.38 digs per set, respectively.

The Skyhawks have been a tough serving team, averaging 1.14 aces per set. Jenna Miller leads the club with 16 service aces, while Clements has 13.

Offensively, UT Martin hits just .177 as a team, while its opponents hit .228. Lauren Montague is the squad's top attacking option and she leads the way with 181 kills and 2.87 kills per set. Ashley Doherty is second on the club with 2.48 kills per frame. She leads the team with a .281 attack percentage. Britany Wilburn rounds out the top three hitters with 150 kills. Miller has handed out 545 assists.

All-time Series vs. UT Martin
In what used to be an annual meeting, Memphis has dominated the all-times series with UT Martin 31-5. The two programs have not met on the volleyball court since the 2006 season when Memphis defeated UTM 3-1 at the Trojan Labor Day Classic in Try, Ala. The Tigers swept the Skyhawks in 2005. Memphis has beaten UT Martin in seven consecutive meetings dating back to the 1998 season. The last time UT Martin beat Memphis was in 1997 when the Skyhawks outlasted the Tigers 3-1.

Last Time vs. UT Martin • September 1, 2006
Memphis 3, UT Martin 1
UT-Martin (3-2) 18 24 30 23
Memphis (4-0) 30 30 27 30

TROY, Ala.- Memphis got 19 kills from Sarah Bury and 18 from Shelby Burton en route to defeating UT-Martin 3-1 in the opening match of the Trojan Labor Day Classic.

Memphis hit just .232 in the match, but held UT-Martin to a .137 percentage. Laura Côté set a match-high 42 assists, while Clayton notched her third 20-plus dig performance with 22 digs. Ashley Liford added 12 digs and Bury completed her second-career double-double with 10 digs.

UT-Martin helped the Tigers by making 18 service errors.

Up Next
Memphis will hit the road for matches at Tulsa and SMU in league action on Fri., Oct. 16 and Sat., Oct. 17. Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve.