After rolling to a schoolrecord 10-0 start, the University of Memphis volleyball team has come across some bumps in the road, losing two of its last three matches and three of the last five.
Although the team is now 12-3 overall and 3-3 in Conference USA, head coach Carrie Yerty said she still likes what she sees from her team.
“I haven’t noticed any changes from the beginning of the season,” Yerty said. “They’ve been very consistent with their team chemistry and their work ethic. They’re a very solid unit.”
The Tigers’ 3-3 conference record leaves Memphis tied with South Florida for seventh place in the conference with 10 C-USA games to play. Only the top eight C-USA teams are eligible for play in the C-USA Tournament, which will be hosted by Houston Nov. 15-18.
Memphis has already matched its conference win total from last season, when the Tigers finished 3-13 in league play.
Yerty said she plans to make the tourney and said the team?s current standing should be temporary.
“It could get better and it could get worse,” Yerty said. “Us sweeping the teams we play this weekend would be big.”
This weekend, the Lady Tigers will begin a seven-match homestand that could very well determine the remainder of their season.
“This is going to be a very crucial stretch,” Yerty said. “Because our conference is so strong, whenever you get a chance to play at home you have to come up with wins.”
The homestand begins tonight at 7 p.m against Southern Mississippi (7-9, 2-4) followed by a match against Tulane (12-5, 5-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Yerty said the determining factor against both teams will be how well her team blocks and plays defense.
The Tigers are currently ranked second from the bottom in C-USA in blocks per game, averaging 1.88 per contest.
Conference USA’s top-ranked team, Louisville (11-1, 6-0), will visit Memphis Oct. 19 while the fourth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (8-5, 5-1) travel to play the Tigers Oct. 20.
Memphis’ three other opponents during the seven-match homestand will be out-of-conference matches against Samford University (Oct. 16), Murray State (Oct. 23) and Jackson State (Oct. 23).
