The University of Memphis volleyball team will face Tulane tonight at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas.
The eighth-seeded Lady Tigers will battle the ninth-seeded Lady Green Wave, which head coach Carrie Yerty said suits her team just fine.
“We beat Tulane at home earlier this season,” Yerty said. “So, they (we) are confident in (our) first round.”
Memphis (21-9, 7-9 in C-USA) goes into this year’s tournament with more of an advantage than the previous two years. As the 11th seed in 1999 and 2000, the Lady Tigers were eliminated in the first round.
This season, Memphis recorded its most wins since 1994.
The squad has also seen individuals reach several milestones this season.
Senior setter Amie Hamilton achieved All C-USA second team honors. Hamilton currently has 94 service aces, more than any other collegiate volleyball player in the nation. Last month, Hamilton broke the C-USA record for career service aces with 198. She needs four more aces to break the school record. Hamilton also owns the record for most digs in a career with 1,466.
Senior outside hitter Ginger Garrett joins her teammate in the record books. Garrett has 3,899 career hitting attempts, the most in U of M history. Garrett’s 1,368 career kills also puts her in the No. 2 spot in the Tiger record books.
According to Yerty, a win against Tulane will hinge on several factors.
“We’re going to have to block well,” Yerty said. “We’re going to have to get the ball to Emily Eichmann, Brooke Chrisman and Shella Neba. That will open up our offense. The team that wins is the team that is able to handle the pressure.”
The winner of the Memphis/Tulane match will take on top-seeded Cincinnati.
Although Tulane knocked Memphis out of the C-USA tournament last year, Yerty said a first-round loss to the Green Wave this year is unlikely.
“We’re focused on the match against Tulane,” Yerty said. “We have a game plan for Cincinnati because we plan on beating Tulane, but you never can tell.”
