Nov. 15, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis volleyball team will wrap up regular season action on Sun., Nov. 16 against the Blazers of UAB. The volleyball program will recognize its lone senior, Laura Côté in a pre-game ceremony. First serve will follow at approximately 1:05 p.m.

The University of Memphis Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be collecting donations for the Memphis Food Bank at the match.

Memphis (17-12, 8-7) won four-straight to climb into fourth place in the C-USA standings only to get swept at Houston and Rice last week to fall to sixth.

As it has all season, Memphis depends heavily on the play of its defense. The Tigers lead the league, holding opposing hitters to a .151 attacking percentage, while making a C-USA-best 308 total blocks for a 2.78 blocks per set average. Sophomore Emily Underwood has led the conference in blocking all year and continues to do so with 170 blocks. With five blocks last weekend, she moved into the top 10 on C-USA's all-time single season list for total blocks. The sophomore is tied for ninth-place. She cracked to top-10 list for most block assists earlier in the season and currently sports 151, which ties her for fourth-best on the single season list. Underwood ranks third in the nation in blocks per set (1.52). Academic All-District IV First Teamer Christine Bach ranks second in C-USA with 4.50 digs per set. Her 499 total digs is the most in the league this year and second on Memphis's single-season ledger.

Run by Côté, the Tiger offense hits .205. Memphis outside hitter Katlin Inglish leads the way with 268 kills. She is followed closely by right side hitter Rebekah Strickland and Lauren Thompson, who have 263 and 262 kills each. Underwood hits a team-high .258 percentage on 249 kills. Côté, the program's all-time assists leader, has handed out 1122 assists.

Scouting UAB
UAB checks into the regular season finale with a 22-5 overall record, 12-3 in league play. The Blazers were in first place in conference standings, having won a record 16 straight matches, but just like Memphis, came up empty in Houston last weekend. October was kind to the Blazers as they went 9-0 in the month. The Blazers offense is paced by Ivana Bozic. The senior outside, who has earned three C-USA Offensive Player Week honors, has put down 359 kills and is the only Blazer hitter with over 1,000 attacks. Middle hitter Casey Dent has been the most consistent attacker, leading UAB, ranking third in the league and 20th nationally with a .389 attack percentage on 294 kills. Two C-USA Setter of the Week award winner, Nevena Stefanov quarterbacks the offense with 1164 assists. Stefanov's 11.09 assists per set rates 21st in the nation.

Bozic also does it on the defensive end, leading the team with 359 digs (3.42 dps) and posting 51 blocks. Libero Aleksandera Vujovic ranks second on the team with 340 digs (3.27 dps). Middle hitter Lilly Domingos' 95 blocks is a team best. Domingos and her teammates hold opposing hitters to a combined .178 attacking percentage.

The all-time series vs. UAB
Memphis leads the all-time series 37-12 after stunning the Blazers with a 3-1 win in the C-USA opener on Sept. 18. The two teams have split the eight matches, including the 2005 and 2007 series. UAB took two of three from Memphis in the 2006 season. All three contests were stretched to the limit, with both teams winning on their home floor. The Tigers suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the 2006 C-USA Championship bout. Since 2000, Memphis and UAB have met 15 times, with the Tigers claiming victory in 10 of those meetings.

The C-USA Conference Tournament will get underway Thurs., Nov. 20 with four matches beginning at noon. The tournament will feature all twelve teams with the Tulane Green Wave as the top seed. The Tigers will play their first match at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Matches will continue on Friday and Saturday until the championship is decided on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The championship match will be televised live on CBS College Sports.