Tigers Reach 1,000 Program Wins with Two Victories in Opening Day of Rumble at the Roane

Friday, August 29

Memphis, Tenn.

10:00 a.m.

University of Memphis

1-0,0-0American

USC Upstate

0-1,0-0Big South

USC Upstate

Memphis

Tigers Reach 1,000 Program Wins with Two Victories in Opening Day of Rumble at the Roane

Aug 29, 2025 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis (2-0) volleyball opened the 2025 season with two victories in the first day of the Rumble at the Roane Invitational, resulting in head coach Cheri Lindsay's first win at the helm and the program's 1,000th victory.

After completing a reverse-sweep against USC Upstate (1-1) in the first match of the season, the Tigers swept the Lady Demons of Northwestern State (1-1) in dominant fashion.

Game 1: Memphis 3, USC Upstate 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a short series of runs in the opening set, USC Upstate took the opening period after coming back from five points down and taking advantage of a service error and consecutive attack errors by the Tigers. The second set followed suit as the Spartans took an 11-6 lead after a five-point run. USC Upstate never relinquished the lead in the set and the Tigers trailed by at least three until the end of the set.

Memphis began to claw back with a dominant third-set victory, led by nine points from Amanda Hardt (seven kills, two service aces). The Tigers took advantage of six attack errors by USC Upstate in the frame. Set four saw a back-and-forth sequence leading into the 20-point mark before the set ended on a four-point run by Memphis, followed by a three-point run by the Spartans and a set-clinching kill by Janyah Henderson.

Despite facing a 9-1 deficit in the decisive fifth set, Memphis slowly inched back with consecutive three-point scoring runs, followed by a four-point run before clinching the match with yet another three-point run.

Amanda Hardt led the way with 26 kills, six service aces and 32.5 total points in her Memphis debut. Freshman Zaniah Hoskins was second on the team with 15 kills in the match, completing a double-double performance with 12 digs. Janyah Henderson contributed in both facets of play, recording 11 kills and nine total blocks.

Ady O'Grady and Summer Kohler paced the USC Upstate offense in the match with 12 and 14 kills, respectively. Three Spartans recorded at least 10 digs, with Kamyla Vega David registering a double-double of her own with 34 assists and 11 digs.

Game 2: Memphis 3, Northwestern State 0

HOW IT HAPPENED

Memphis never trailed in the opening set against the Lady Demons, stretching the lead to as much as 12, with 12 points coming from the combination of Hardt and Henderson. The momentum carried into the second set as Memphis took an early lead and held it to go up by two sets in the match, highlighted by a six-point run with two services aces by Maddy Bach.

In the match-clinching set, Memphis held as much as a seven-point lead, with Brianna Washington and Riley McCloskey recording their first collegiate kills in the frame. A total of 11 errors by the Lady Demons in the attack and at the service line sealed the match for the Tigers.

For the second match in a row, Amanda Hardt led Memphis in kills, this time with 12 in the win. Arianna Mongare contributed eight kills, followed then by Janyah Henderson and Zaniah Hoskins with seven kills each. Freshman Maddy Bach led the Tigers in assists for the second consecutive match, registering 32 in the sweep.

Makenna Tryon led the Lady Demon offense with seven kills in the match, followed by Samaya Wesson with five kills.

NOTABLES

Memphis' 3-2 victory over the Spartans was the program's 1,000th victory and head coach Cheri Lindsay's first win as the leader of the program.
The Tigers are 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2023.
- A win tomorrow would be the first 3-0 start since 2021 when Memphis began the season with six-straight wins.
Amanda Hardt set career highs in kills (26), service aces (six), total points (32.5) and digs (eight) in the victory against USC Upstate.
- Hardt's six service aces were the most by a Tiger in a single match since 2010 (Marija Jovanovic, seven service aces vs. Kennesaw State).
In the first match of the day, freshman Zaniah Hoskins was the lone Tiger to record a double-double, finishing the contest with 15 kills and 12 digs.
Janyah Henderson's three solo blocks against USC Upstate were the most in a single match by a Tiger since the 2010 season (Cassidy Hawkins, three solo blocks vs. Southern Mississippi).
In Memphis' victory over Northwestern State, no Lady Demon player reached double digits in any statistical category.
Through two matches, nine newcomers (Arianna Mongare, Amanda Hardt, Janyah Henderson, Maddy Bach, Zaniah Hoskins, Za'Niya Boyles, Riley McCloskey, Brianna Washington, Génesis Rodríguez) recorded their first kills in a Memphis uniform.
- All of those newcomers, along with Taylor Hampton and Sydney Marshall, also made their debuts for Memphis in the first two contests of the season.

UP NEXT
Memphis concludes the Rumble at the Roane Invitational with a 12:30 p.m. matchup against Tennessee State (0-2). The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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.