Golden Hurricane Head to SMU, Memphis This Weekend

Match Notes
TULSA, Okla. - The Tulsa volleyball team will travel for a pair of road matches this weekend, as the Golden Hurricane square off against SMU and Memphis.

The Golden Hurricane (9-6, 2-0 The American) will start weekend play by heading to Dallas to face the Mustangs (7-5, 0-2) on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. TU will then take on the Tigers (11-3, 0-2), on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m.

SMU has lost its last three matches. Last weekend, the Mustangs forced played back-to-back five-set matches to begin conference play, but suffered road losses at Houston and Tulane. Head coach Lisa Seifert is in her 24th as SMU's head coach. Earlier this season, she picked up her 400th win at SMU with a victory at Oral Roberts. Freshman setter Lily Heim leads The American and ranks eighth nationally in assists per set, averaging 11.3 a/s. SMU was picked to finish fifth in The American Preseason Coaches Poll, just one spot below Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane trail the Mustangs 19-27 all-time.

Memphis is coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses to the Green Wave and the Cougars. Not only did the Tigers fall in consecutive five-set matches, but each contest was decided in the fifth set by just two points. After starting the season 11-0, the Tigers are looking to break a three-game skid. Memphis was voted to finish in last place at 12th in the preseason coaches poll, but the Tigers have already defied the odds. They have already equaled their win total from a season ago. Head coach Sean Burdette is in his second season atop the helm. The two squads met just once last year at the Donald W. Reynolds Center, where Tulsa swept Memphis 3-0. The win gave the Golden Hurricane a 15-12 advantage in the all-time series.

The Golden Hurricane will be chasing history this weekend. Senior libero Taylor Horsfall is one dig away from 2,000th career digs at Tulsa. She would become the third Golden Hurricane to ever reach 2,000 digs at TU. The Houston, Texas native currently ranks third in career digs. Earlier this week, Horsfall was named The American Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and sixth time in her career. She ranks first in The American and eighth nationally in digs per set (5.43 d/s), while ranking second in the league and seventh in the country in total digs (315).

Head coach Ryan Wills is just one win shy of his 100th career win at Tulsa. The Tulsa native would become the fourth coach in program history to reach the century mark, and the third-fastest to 100 wins.

Fans unable to attend Tulsa home matches in person can watch the Golden Hurricane live on TulsaHurricane.com/watch. There is a 24HR Pass, a Monthly Pass, and a Yearly Pass that allows you to watch all TU home men's and women's soccer, volleyball and softball games depending on the package purchased.

To keep up with the latest news Tulsa volleyball, visit TulsaHurricane.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Golden Hurricane Head to SMU, Memphis This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Horsfall