U of M volleyball earns first win at home
By: Joseph Russell
Issue date: 10/11/09 Section: Sports
After a tumultuous start to their season, The University of Memphis volleyball team finally earned their first home win of the year Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over the University of Central Arkansas at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Using double-double performances from junior setter Christine Bach and right side hitter Maja Jovanovic, the Tigers (3-16) snapped a nine-game losing streak to UCA. Bach notched a match-high 40 assists to go with 15 digs, while Jovanovic had a match-best 18 kills and added 13 digs.
The U of M also got 15 kills from redshirt freshman outside hitter Altrese Hawkins.
The Sugar Bears (16-3) were on a 15-match win streak before the Tigers claimed the victory.
Memphis started slowly, dropping the first set by a score of 25-20. They hit only .065 in the opening set but quickly put themselves back in contention during the second set.
After playing through 11 different ties, Jovanovic gave The U of M a 20-19 advantage in the second set. Her kill was followed up with assisted blocks from Jovanovic and Carolyn Baker, then a kill by senior Lauren Thompson for the 22-20 lead. After UCA cut the lead to one at 22-21, Thompson knocked down consecutive kills for a 25-21 win, which tied the match at 1-1.
The U of M's momentum rolled into the third set, when their defense forced UCA into 11 errors. After the score was tied 4-4, the Sugar Bears committed errors on the next six serves in a row to give the Tigers a 10-4 lead. From there, The U of M pushed their lead ahead and won the set, 25-16.
The fourth and final set was much closer, as both teams battled to a 16-16. A kill by Hawkins and a solo block by sophomore Casey Hines pushed the Tigers ahead by two. Leading 20-19, Jovanovic and Baker knocked down kills and the Sugar Bears committed two offensive errors to give The U of M the win.
Sophomore Becky Shaffer paced the Tigers' defense with a match-best 22 digs. Thompson tallied 11 digs, and Baker finished the night with five total blocks.
The squad will return to action tonight against East Carolina at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse at 7 p.m.
Using double-double performances from junior setter Christine Bach and right side hitter Maja Jovanovic, the Tigers (3-16) snapped a nine-game losing streak to UCA. Bach notched a match-high 40 assists to go with 15 digs, while Jovanovic had a match-best 18 kills and added 13 digs.
The U of M also got 15 kills from redshirt freshman outside hitter Altrese Hawkins.
The Sugar Bears (16-3) were on a 15-match win streak before the Tigers claimed the victory.
Memphis started slowly, dropping the first set by a score of 25-20. They hit only .065 in the opening set but quickly put themselves back in contention during the second set.
After playing through 11 different ties, Jovanovic gave The U of M a 20-19 advantage in the second set. Her kill was followed up with assisted blocks from Jovanovic and Carolyn Baker, then a kill by senior Lauren Thompson for the 22-20 lead. After UCA cut the lead to one at 22-21, Thompson knocked down consecutive kills for a 25-21 win, which tied the match at 1-1.
The U of M's momentum rolled into the third set, when their defense forced UCA into 11 errors. After the score was tied 4-4, the Sugar Bears committed errors on the next six serves in a row to give the Tigers a 10-4 lead. From there, The U of M pushed their lead ahead and won the set, 25-16.
The fourth and final set was much closer, as both teams battled to a 16-16. A kill by Hawkins and a solo block by sophomore Casey Hines pushed the Tigers ahead by two. Leading 20-19, Jovanovic and Baker knocked down kills and the Sugar Bears committed two offensive errors to give The U of M the win.
Sophomore Becky Shaffer paced the Tigers' defense with a match-best 22 digs. Thompson tallied 11 digs, and Baker finished the night with five total blocks.
The squad will return to action tonight against East Carolina at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse at 7 p.m.