Oct. 12, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -The University of Memphis volleyball team will look to get back on track this weekend with home matches against SMU and Tulsa on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Tigers are 14-6 overall and hold a 3-4 mark in C-USA after dropping back-to-back contests at UTEP last weekend.
Altrese Hawkins and Vesna Jelic led Memphis over the weekend in two tightly-contested matches. Hawkins recorded 25 kills and Jelic contributed a double-double of 13 kills and 13 digs in a five-set loss to UTEP on Friday. Hawkins added another 14 kills in the 3-1 loss to the Miners on Saturday, while Marija Jovanovic had 11 of her own.
Memphis takes on SMU Friday, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m. and Tulsa on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m.
Memphis vs. SMU :: Game Notes :: Live Stats :: Video :: Live Blog
Memphis vs. Tulsa :: Game Notes :: Live Stats :: Video :: Live Blog
Scouting SMU
SMU brings a 7-12 overall record, including a 3-4 Conference USA mark. The Mustangs split a pair of back-to-back games with Tulane over the weekend after winning two-straight C-USA matches over Houston (3-2) and Tulsa (3-1). Jessica Oliver and Dana Powell lead SMU's attack with 230 kills and 221 kills, respectively. Kellie Becerra has turned in 631 assists (8.53 a/s), and Sidney Steward has anchored the backline defense with 372 digs (5.02 d/s).
Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane holds a 15-5 overall record, including a 6-1 C-USA mark, coming into this weekend's set of matches. Tulsa picked up back-to-back 3-0 wins over Southern Miss last weekend after dropping its first C-USA game to SMU (3-1) in a midweek match. Tyler Henderson, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, leads Tulsa with 353 total kills (4.90 k/s). Jordan Clampitt is the lead setter with 601 assists (8.59 a/s), while Jessica Adams has anchored the defense with 345 digs (4.79 d/s).
WEEKLY NOTES
Oct. 2-9 Week in Review
Memphis dropped back-to-back road matches against UTEP on Oct. 7 and 8, but didn't go down without a battle. The Tigers lost a heartbreaking 3-2 decision on Oct. 7 despite 25 kills from Altrese Hawkins and a double-double of 13 kills and 13 digs from Vesna Jelic. In the 3-1 loss on Oct. 8, Hawkins again led Memphis with 14 kills, while Marija Jovanovic finished with 11. Hajnalka Molnar totaled 104 assists on the weekend.
Double-Double
Vesna Jelic picked up her second double-double of the year by registering 13 kills and 13 digs in a five-set loss to UTEP.
Triple Dipped
Setter Hajnalka Molnar was awarded C-USA Setter of the Week for the week of Oct. 3, the third time she has earned the honor this season. The recognition came after a weekend where Molnar registered back-to-back double-doubles of assists and digs against Southern Miss and Tulane.
Climbing the Ladder
Altrese Hawkins became the 21st person in Memphis Volleyball history to down 1,000 kills in her career. She picked up her 1000th in the first set against Howard and is now 16th all-time in the Memphis record book with 1,102 career kills.
Fab 50
With a 3-0 victory over Tulane, Memphis head coach April Jauregui picked her 53rd win at the helm of the program. She now ranks sixth on the all-time coaching wins list.
Acing the Competition
Memphis leads C-USA with 136 aces (1.94 sa/s) with four players ranking in the top seven in the conference in aces. Hajnalka Molnar leads the way with 30 aces (.43 sa/s), while Marija Jovanovic (.37 sa/s), Maja Kostic (.32 sa/s), and Vesna Jelic (.30 sa/s) join her in the top 10.
Killing Machines
The Tigers are currently second in C-USA in total kills in the 2011 season. Memphis has downed 971 kills (13.87 k/s) so far this year, which is 84 fewer than Tulsa. The Tigers lead the conference in hitting percentage (.257).
