University of Memphis
Murray State
Memphis Sweeps Murray State in Saluki Invitational
Sep 10, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2011
Carbondale, Ill. - The University of Memphis volleyball team picked up its second-straight win in the Saluki Invitational, using a powerful offensive attack to sweep Murray State, 3-0 (27-25; 25-15; 25-12). Altrese Hawkins and Marija Jovanovic led the Tigers, who improve to 7-2, with 14 kills apiece, while Hajnalka Molnar turned in 41 assists.
Memphis and Murray State traded points in the beginning of the first set, but the Tigers used kills from Jovanovic and Hawkins to build a 14-10 lead. The Racers then battled back and tied the set at 16, forcing Memphis to take a timeout. The Tigers responded with three-straight points to regain a 19-16 advantage. Murray State refused to go down, however, and battle back to notch the set at 22.
The Tigers appeared poised to capture the set with a set point at 24-22, but the Racers scored three-straight points to have a set point of their own at 25-24. Hawkins came through in the clutch, however, and downed a kill to even the score at 25. Another Tiger kill coupled with an error from Murray State sealed the set for Memphis, 27-25.
Memphis jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set behind strong play from Hawkins and Jovanovic. The Racers made it 8-6, but Memphis responded and pushed the lead to 13-9 before a 10-1 run by the Tigers made it 19-11. Molnar led the run with two service aces, and the Tigers would extend the advantage to 23-15 before putting the set away 25-15.
Jovanovic paced a Memphis offensive onslaught which dominated the third set, netting four kills of her own as the Tigers would go on to hit .524 in the set. The Tigers took the lead 1-0 on a kill from Molnar and never looked back. The Racers kept it close and trailed by just three when a service error from Jovanovic made it 9-6.
The Tigers then went on an 11-1 run paced by three service aces from Molnar to extend the lead to 21-9. Murray State sided out and scored to make it 22-11, but two attack errors by the Racers and a kill from Maja Kostic sealed the set, 25-12, and the match, 3-0 for the Tigers.
Overall, A. Hawkins and Jovanovic led the Tigers as each recorded 14 kills in 28 attempts and registered .357 hitting percentages. Maja Kostic turned in seven kills and three digs, while Molnar led Memphis with 41 assists while setting a career-high with five service aces.
Aleksandra Petronijevic recorded double-digit digs for the ninth-straight game as the redshirt-freshman anchored the back line with 13 digs against the Racers. Katie Meyer also posted a strong performance, registering four kills and netting a season-high five total blocks. Maja Kostic and Cassidy Hawkins recorded seven kills and five kills, respectively, in the win, while the Tigers hit an impressive .391 as a team and totaled 31 digs and 46 assists.
Teresa Krog and Cassey Woolverton led Murray State, which falls to 0-10, with 10 kills each, while Wendi Zickfield netted eight of her own. Lia Havili totaled 18 assists to lead the Racers, and Molly Goodrich chipped in 11 helpers.
Memphis takes on Saluki Invitational-host Southern Illinois tonight at 7:30 p.m. at SIU Arena in its final game of the tournament.
