The Tigers Take Down the Bulls in First Conference Win

Sunday, September 24

Memphis, Tenn.

1:00 p.m.

University of Memphis

4-10,0-2

South Florida

8-5,2-0

University of South Florida

University of Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

The Tigers Take Down the Bulls in First Conference Win

Sep 24, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis took down USF 3-1, on Sunday afternoon in its first conference win. The Tigers (5-10) broke their two-match losing streak and recorded a season high 13 aces in the match against the Bulls. They also tallied 46 digs, 45 kills and 10 blocks along with hitting a .201 clip to close the series with USF. Clara Bednarek hit a .320 clip and put down 10 kills the aid the Tigers in their conference win.

"This was a great turnaround for us heading into the second match versus USF. The staff did a great job finding some adjustments we could make from yesterday's match and then our players really stepped up and implemented those changes." Head coach Sean Burdette remarked. "Really proud of the response from the team. [Clara] Bednarek really came through both offensively and defensively and Tabytha Toelke brought a complete match performance. Our serving came alive with Catalina Martinez, Abigail Schlueter and Rylee Busse applying pressure and scoring points."

Memphis 3, USF 1

Memphis and USF began the first set going back and forth with Memphis holding a slight lead. The Tigers went on a 6-0 run, aided by two aces from Busse, forcing a Bulls timeout.
USF started to climb back midway through the first set with big blocks from Lauren Lewis, forcing Memphis to use a timeout.
Memphis ended the set on a 9-2 run to take the set 25-16. The Tigers closed out set one on back-to-back aces from Martinez, tallying six aces so far in the match.
The Tigers opened set two on a 4-0 run, forcing and early timeout from the Bulls. USF would tie it up after an 8-4 run early in the set.
Memphis held the lead halfway through set two, with USF tight on its heels. The Tigers were aided by kills from Autumn Flynn and Toelke.
The Bulls crawled back to take the lead late in the set, forcing two Tiger timeouts. Both sides battled through the final five points before USF took the set 25-23.
The Tigers and the Bulls opened set three exchanging point for point, neither side finding a way to form a run. Schlueter recorded three-straight aces, forcing a USF timeout.
The Tigers held the lead midway through the set, capitalizing off attacking errors from the Bulls and creating small runs throughout. Memphis took set three 25-19.
Memphis got off to a hot start, forcing a USF timeout early in set four after back-to-back aces from Martinez. The Tigers were aided by kills from Hannah Jones, Madison Rice-Locket and Jordan Heatherly.
Memphis held the slight lead through the fourth set, with USF keeping a tight leash. Bednarek proved to be presence at the net, putting down kills and blocks to help the Tigers. Memphis would go on the take the set 25-21, and the match 3-1.

Notables

Bednarek led the Tigers in kills and hitting percentage, nailing down 10 kills and a .320 clip. Toelke and Jones followed closely with nine kills apiece.
Two Tigers recorded double-digit digs: Schlueter and Busse.
Memphis set a season high in aces, tallying 13 in the match: Schlueter (5), Martinez (5) and Busse (3).
Memphis closed the match with 10 blocks, led by Rice-Locket with four to her name.

Up Next: The Tigers will travel to Charlotte next week Friday, Sept. 29 through Saturday, Sept. 30.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Volleyball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.