The Memphis Tigers volleyball team returned home this weekend as the host of the 2019 Beale Street Challenge with nine straight wins and zero losses this season.
Riding an undefeated record (9-0) coming into tournament, Memphis has not started this well since the 2001 season when they went 10-0. Memphis is one of ten remaining undefeated teams in the nation. The teams the Tigers are welcoming into the tournament are North Alabama, Toledo and Southeast Missouri.
North Alabama
Out of everyone in the tournament, no one is having a rougher start to the season than North Alabama. The Lions have lost three straight games, and have not even won a set in those matches.
The leader on the team is Alyssa Dutton, who has recorded 84 digs and leads the team in both kills and points, totaling 87 and 97 respectively. The freshman outside hitter is currently going through a rough patch, failing to secure a double-digit kill game since their last win.
Toledo
After dropping the first two games this season, the Toledo Rockets have made a dramatic comeback, securing a six-game winning streak before the Wright State Raiders broke it this past weekend.
Two players to keep an eye on for the Rockets team are Zoe Birnbrich and Chloee Kleespies, who both have over 80 kills on the season. Birnbrich has three double-digit kill games, while Kleespies has six to lead the team.
Southeast Missouri
This season has been an up-and-down roller coaster for the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks have a 5-6 record coming into the Beale Street Challenge, and with their 3-2 victory at St. Louis last Tuesday, they look to bring that momentum with them.
The two players to watch out for are Laney Malloy and Annie Wehrheim. Malloy leads the team in kills with 131 on the season, while also leading in points with 159 so far in the 2019 campaign. Wehrheim is second on the team in kills with 85 while third in points with 93. Both are coming off two double-digit kills performances and will look to keep that streak going.
Overall
The Memphis Tigers have a lot of momentum coming into the weekend, despite times that they played down to the lesser competition. Last time they were at home, they took out their opponents with ease, only giving up one total set (9-1) that weekend in the Tiger Brawl tournament earlier in September.
The play from Meredith Wallace, Sabrina Bianco, and Hannah Flowers will be key to helping the Tigers continue their winning streak. Wallace leads the team in kills with 105 on the season while averaging 3.5 kills per set. Bianco is first in the squad with 338 assists on the year while averaging 10.24 assists per game. Flowers is the team leading point-scorer with 123.5 and second on the team in kills with 94.
The first game will be Friday at 10 a.m. against the Lions, followed by a night game at 7 p.m. against Toledo. The tournament will wrap up on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Redhawks. All games from the Beale Street Challenge will be played on campus at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
