University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
2-3
Tennessee-Martin
4-2
Tigers Split in Final Day of Memphis Invitational
Sep 06, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis volleyball team picked up its first win at the Memphis Invitational on Saturday with a three-set victory (31-29, 25-18, 25-17) over Tennessee-Martin in front of 362 fans at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. In the second match of the Memphis fell to Arkansas State in a five-set thriller, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 29-31, 16-14. The Tigers move to 2-4 on the season and look. The Skyhawks fall to 4-2 after suffering their second-straight setback while the Red Wolves improve to 2-4.
In the first match, junior setter Veronica Zimmerman eclipsed the 2,000 assist plateau early in the first set. The Toledo, Ohio, native finished with 40 helpers, 13 digs and a career-high six kills as she led the Blue and Gray to the victory. Zimmerman has left her mark on every match this season, recording double-doubles in all five matches.
For the first time this season, Memphis claimed a first-set victory, en-route to the sweep of the Skyhawks. The Blue and Gray jumped out to a quick 13-8 lead, but a 12-5 run by UT Martin saw the Tigers trail late in the game. Memphis would force the Skyhawks into five errors in the waning moments before an ace by Lindsey Purvis gave the Tigers the victory in the opening frame, 31-29.
After a thrilling opening set, the Tigers shot down any hopes the Skyhawks had of a comeback by holding UTM to a .095 hitting percentage in the second game while boasting a .343 percentage of their own. The Tigers capped of the match with their best hitting numbers of the afternoon, swing a blistering .360 in the final frame to secure the victory.
In the second match of the day, Memphis dropped the fifth-set, 16-14, for the second-consecutive night. The Tigers were led by Lauren Wright with 17 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. Also leading the charge for the Blue and Gray was Kate Gibson and Catlin Lilly who had 15 kills, apiece.
Zimmerman logged an impressive 60 assists in the tournament's final match, but Arkansas State's 17 blocks proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome. The Tigers will be in action again next weekend when they travel to the Bulldog Invitational in Starkville, Miss. To learn more about the team, visit GoTigersGo.com and follow @MemphisVolley on Twitter and Instagram.
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