Tulsa
Memphis (C-USA)
TU Stays Perfect at Home in C-USA Volleyball Play
10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 21, 2005
Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa volleyball team remained undefeated at home in Conference USA action with a thrilling 3-2 (30-23, 25-30, 30-14, 25-30, 15-9) victory over Memphis on Friday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Sophomore setter Julia Silva recorded her second triple-double of the season with 11 kills, 57 assists and 23 digs to lead the Golden Hurricane. It is the first time since the 1998 a player has posted multiple triple-doubles in the same year.
Fellow sophomore Kassiana Urnau led all hitters with 21 kills, as five Hurricane players recorded double-digits in kills. Juniors Amy Meyer and Germana Hilario posted 14 and 13 kills respectively, while senior Dana Weddle also finished with 10 kills in addition to Silva's 11. Senior Evyn Wills finished with a match-high 30 digs, marking the third time this season she posted 30-or-more digs in a match. She was also one of five Hurricane players to reach double-figures in digs. In addition to Silva's 23 digs, Meyer had 12, Urnau had 15 and junior Brie Penaluna had 11 off the bench.
The Tigers were led by Ashley Liford's 18 kills. Shelby Burton was one of four Memphis players to reach double-digits with 17, Nancy Nellans and Colete Ramirez both added 11 kills.
Tulsa grabbed the momentum early, scoring the first three points of the match. The Hurricane would not relinquish the lead, going up by as much as eight at 16-8. Memphis tried to rally, closing the gap to 20-18. However, Tulsa used timely hitting and a .308-.196 hitting percentage advantage to take the game.
The second stanza was more cat-and-mouse, as neither team could take command of the game. Memphis scored first, taking a 2-0 lead off a pair of kills by Ashley Liford and Colette Ramirez. Tulsa tied the game at 4-4, then took the lead on a kill by Hilario. The Tigers came back to re-gain quickly at 6-5 only to see TU tie the game again at 13-13.
The game would remain nip-and-tuck for the next six points, still tied 16-16. Fueled by a TU attacking error, Memphis made one last run that the Hurricane could not stop to square up the match at one-game apiece. This time, the Tigers took advantage of a .327-.191 hitting difference, with 21 kills as a team compared to only 15 by TU.
After the break, TU came out hot again like in the first game. The Hurricane blew out to a 16-8 lead after a 4-4 tie. A 5-0 run, fueled by four service aces from Urnau and a block by Weddle and Meyer, TU pulled to a 21-8 lead. Tulsa win the third game for 17th time this season. Only twice this season has TU lost the third game and still won the match.
The fourth game was a near perfect repeat of the second game, as Memphis took an early lead, let TU tie the game, then pull away for the victory. Neither team could stop the other, as both squads combined for 39 kills in the fourth game alone. The Tigers committed fewer errors in the stanza for the five-point victory to force the deciding game.
Memphis kept its momentum by scoring the first four points of the final stanza, using kills from Liford (2) and Rameriez, as well as a TU hitting error. Down 5-1, the momentum slowly started to turn back to TU's favor. At the turn, Memphis was up 8-5.
Surprisingly, that is when TU took control. Silva started the rally with her 10th kill of the match for the triple-double. Following three consecutive Tiger hitting errors, two caused by TU blocks, Urnau all but sealed UM's fate. The outside hitter hit the ball off a Memphis block with so much spin, that the ball traveled the length the net from the left side to the right side then felling out of bounds to give TU a 10-8 lead. The Hurricane got four more kills before ending the match by forcing a long hit by the Tigers.
Tulsa improves to 19-3 on the season, 6-2 in league play. Memphis falls to 13-10 overall and 5-2. The win also moves TU into second place in the league standings, only a game behind Marshall at 7-1.
The Hurricane will host UAB at 2 p.m. on Sunday, while Memphis travels to SMU for a 2 p.m. affair with the Mustangs.
