Nov. 1, 2004

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Heather Watts has put herself in elite company in University of Memphis athletics, becoming the first female athlete and just the second Tiger athlete ever to earn four conference weekly awards in a single season, as Conference USA announced that she earned Setter of the Week Monday. The only other Memphis athlete to ever have earned four weekly honors in the same season was Anfernee Hardaway in the 1992-93 basketball season.

Watts earned the League's first-ever Setter of the Week award back on Sept. 7 and then garnered back-to-back honors on Sept. 20 and 27. The Sandy, Utah native currently leads the Conference USA with 1,451 assists (13.31 assists pre game) and is also ranked among the nation's leaders.

Watts was solid for Memphis this week, leading the Tigers to a 3-0 record with wins over Middle Tennessee, Marquette and DePaul. The senior posted 14.36 assists per game (158 total) and recorded 26 digs on the week. As the C-USA assists leader, Watts posted match-high totals in all three contests this week. With 66 assists and nine digs, Watts helped the Tigers in a pressure-packed 3-2 win over Marquette on Friday night. She finished the week with her 14th double-double of the year and tallied 51 assists and 11 digs in a sweep over DePaul the following night. Watts 158 assists on the weekend propelled her from seventh to fifth pace all-time in the Conference USA record books.

"This was a great weekend for Heather," said head coach Carrie Yerty. "I am really proud with how she handled the pressure against Marquette. She followed the game plan and maintained control and confidence even when the game was tight. She is a solid leader, and in crunch times seems to be able to handle the pressure and turn it up a notch. Heather is clearly one of the most impressive setters in C-USA."

With the wins over Marquette and DePaul, the Tigers secured a third-place ranking in the C-USA standings at 7-2. Memphis has just four Conference matches remaining before the season-ending C-USA Tournament, which will be held in Louisville, Ky.

Memphis will now prepare to hit the road for the last time in C-USA action when they go to battle against UAB on Nov. 5 and USF on Nov. 6. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.