2019 AMERICAN VOLLEYBALL RELEASE - September 17
MEMPHIS OFF TO A NEAR HISTORIC START
Memphis secured the second-best start in program history by moving to 9-0 with a sweep of the Saluki
Invitational in Carbondale, Illinois. The Tigers dropped only three sets for the tournament and closed the
weekend with a sweep of IUPUI. The 9-0 start for Memphis in 2019 trails only the 10-0 opening for the Tigers
in 2001, a season in which Memphis ultimately finished 22-10 while competing in Conference USA.
TEMPLE RE-WRITING ITS RECORD BOOK
Temple extended its best start in program history after improving to 9-0 with a clean sweep of the Cherry and
White Challenge in Philadelphia. Temple has dropped a mere two of its first 29 sets played this season, holding
opponents to a meager .148 attack percentage to rank seventh nationally over its first nine starts.
#AMERICANPOW6R
After three weeks of action only 10 NCAA Division I volleyball teams remained undefeated, and two of those teams are the leaders of the American Athletic Conference’s East and West Divisions. In fact, with Temple and Memphis still unbeaten as of Sept. 15, The American remained the only conference in the country to boast multiple undefeated volleyball teams.
ANOTHER RANKED NONCON WIN
Despite a 1-2 mark at the Redbird Classic in Normal, Illinois, UCF battled gamely to beat No. 14 Illinois 3-1 on Sept. 14 after taking No. 7 Marquette to five sets in a tough defeat the night before. UCF claimed the highest ranked win for an American Athletic Conference team thus far in 2019 by downing Illinois, surpassing Cincinnati sweeping No. 21 Tennessee on Sept. 6.
WHERE THE AMERICAN SITS IN THE NATIONAL RANKS
In the second full release of NCAA Division I statistics for the 2019 season on Sept. 15, Houston was slotted second in total team attacks, fourth in team kills and seventh in team assists; Tulane ranked third in team kills and fifth in team assists; Memphis ranked sixth in service aces per set and ninth in overall aces; and SMU was eighth in both assists per set and kills per set. Individually Houston’s Abbie Jackson was fourth in total attacks and total kills and fifth in points, while Memphis’ Hannah Flowers ranked fourth in aces and fifth in aces per set. Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson was fourth in total kills, fifth in points per set and sixth in kills per set, and Houston’s Katie Karbo ranked third in total digs.