Thursday, March 4

Memphis 3, Wichita State 2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-23, 27-25, 15-12)	Box Score
Cincinnati 3, USF 2 (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-14, 15-6)	Box Score
Tulane 3, SMU 1 (31-33, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23)	Box Score

Memphis 3, Wichita State 2

For the second consecutive season, the Memphis Tigers went into the home of the Wichita State Shockers and pulled out a five-set win. Thursday night, the Tigers fell behind two sets to none but stormed back for the exhilarating five-set victory. It was the second consecutive match that Wichita State lost a two sets to none lead, their only two conference losses this season. The Tigers picked up their first conference win of the season 18-25, 26-24, 25-23, 27-25, & 15-12.

The Shockers got off to a quick start in the opening set, as an early challenge win gave them a 5-1 lead. Memphis (4-6, 1-4) rattled off four of the next five points to pull within one, but they were never able to tie up the set. Wichita State (8-2, 3-2) built a five point lead at 16-11, extended the lead to 22-16, and though the Tigers fought off one set point, a kill from Megan Taflinger gave the Shockers the first set 25-18.

Memphis controlled the second set and did everything but finish it off. Memphis jumped out to an 8-3 lead, while Jada Birkel's seventh kill of the night extended the Tigers advantage to 12-7. The Shockers struggled on the attack in the set with nine attack errors after just two in the first set and the Tigers capitalized to take a 16-10 edge. Wichita State then won eight of the next 10 points to level the set 18-18, which was matched eight points later 22-22. The Tigers took a 24-22 lead, but kills from Sophia Rohling and Taflinger leveled the set 24-24. The Shockers took the next two points on two errors by the Tigers for a come-from-behind 26-24 second set win.

Though the attack wasn't overly successful in the third set for the Tigers, Memphis managed to extend the match despite a .000 hitting percentage with 11 kills and 11 attack errors. Neither side was able to string many points together early in the set, as the teams traded through the first 12 points. Memphis took the lead 10-6 as part of a 4-0 right, highlighted by a service ace from Bailey Houlihan. The Shockers got back into the set off of a block, one of their 12 on the night that pulled them within two at 12-10. Memphis sent the set into a media timeout at 15-11, though the Shockers responded with a 3-0 run. Wichita State tied the set 18-18 and led 21-19 and 23-22, but a block from Miaya Smith gave the Tigers set point 24-23. Birkel and Smith combined on the block on the next play that earned the Tigers the set 25-23 and extended the match.

The Tigers upped their attack when they needed it most, as they hit .146 in the fourth set victory and nearly doubled that in the fifth set. Neither team had more than a two point lead until nearly the end of the set, as the teams were tied 8-8, 14-14, and 17-17. Rohling came away with one of her career-high 27 kills that gave the Shockers a 19-18 lead. Wichita State took a 22-19 edge that led to a Memphis timeout, but Smith came away with one of her team-high six blocks on the point out of the timeout. A kill from Brylee Kelly made it 24-22 Shockers, but Smith and Drewry connected with kills on consecutive points that tied the set 24-24. Memphis couldn't win the set serving 25-24, but a kill from Elizabeth Orf gave the Tigers another set point and a Wichita State error followed for Memphis' 27-25 win.

In the decisive fifth set, the Tigers easily had their best offensive set of the night, with nine kills to just two attack errors, good for a .259 hitting percentage. The fifth set started much like the prior three, as the teams traded points to a 4-3 Shockers lead. That's when things went differently, as Memphis went on its best run of the night, a 9-2 spurt that included a 6-0 run that put the Tigers in control of the match 9-4. Smith's 11th kill of the night gave the Tigers an 11-7 lead, while Memphis' eighth kill of the set made it 13-7. Consecutive attack errors kept the Shockers alive as part of a 3-0 run, but Orf's eighth kill of the night set up match point for Memphis. The Shockers fought off two match points, but Rohling, the match-leader in kills, sent her final attempt well long, which secured Memphis' 15-12 fifth set victory and first conference victory of the season.

Cincinnati 3, USF 2

The University of Cincinnati volleyball team posted a five-set, come-from-behind victory over USF Thursday, the first of a two-game American Athletic Conference series at the Corral in Tampa, Florida.

The Bearcats won the first set, USF took sets two and three and UC closed out the match by winning sets four and five.

Cincinnati (5-3, 3-0 AAC) finished the match with 63 kills through 162 attempts and a .247 hitting percentage. The Bearcats also put up a season-high 10 services aces and 77 digs against USF (5-4, 3-1 AAC), accumulating 15.4 digs per set.

UC enters the second day of the set at 3-0 in league play, battling UCF for the top spot in the AAC east.

NOTES
Maria Mallon led the way with a season-high 21 kills, 24 digs and three service aces, securing her fourth-straight double-double of the season. 
Madison Waters claimed a double-double of her own with 16 kills, 16 digs and a hit percentage of .262, the highest of the evening. 
Adria Oliver had eight kills and three blocks.
Armania Heckenmueller led the team in assists with 26 and three aces.
Payton Frederick was the third Bearcats player with three service aces while also claiming 14 digs.

SET BREAKDOWN
SET 1: UC, 25-23
The Bearcats struck first on a service ace by Heckenmueller to open that mach. USF quickly answered with a seven-point streak led Marta Cvitkovic, who gathered two service aces of her own. A solo block by Adria Oliver shortened USF's lead to four, at 11-15. Cincinnati held its momentum, accumulating three kills and forcing a Bulls timeout with a score of 15-17. The Bearcats evened the score at 19 where they were able hold the lead for the remainder of the set. After overcoming a seven-point deficit, a kill by Oliver awarded the Bearcats the first set.

SET 2: USF, 25-21
The Bulls got off to an early 3-point lead after three attack errors landed in their favor. The Bearcats answered with a six-point streak, including back-to-back services aces by Mallon, reclaiming a 10-9 lead and forcing a USF timeout. The score would remain even through the second set, where a service ace by USF's Alexis Wallace gave the Bull's a 21-18 lead, forcing a Cincinnati timeout. The Bulls held onto the lead taking the second set 25-21 after a long rally resulted in a set-point kill by Ally Barnhart. 

SET 3: USF, 25-23
The battle continued into the third set where the score held even through five. USF began to pull away on with 12-7 lead led by Makayla Washington who accumulated three points for the Bulls. Mallon answered with her 11th kill of the afternoon bringing the Bearcats within three. USF was the first to 20 after a kill by Marta Cvitkovic extended the Bulls to a 20-15 lead. A service ace by Cvitkovic set Bulls up for the set point, defending a late surge by the Bearcats, taking the third set 25-23.

SET 4: UC, 25-14
Cincinnati rallied in the fourth set with a staggering 7-1 lead over the Bulls. A pair of aces by Payton Frederick forced a USF timeout, shifting the momentum in the Bearcats favor. The score continued to climb after a set of attack errors and a service ace by Heckenmueller gave UC a 16-7 lead. USF replied with a four-score streak of its own, closing the gap to five. Mallon led UC to a fourth set victory after lining up the set point on her 19th kill of the match. Hanna Bolinger put the fourth set away on an assist by Kozer. 

SET 5: UC, 15-6
UC kept its energy going into the final set of the evening, taking an early 3-0 lead. A long rally ended in the Bearcats favor after Bolinger hammered one down the middle extending the Bearcats to a 9-4 advantage. The Bearcats were the first to 10 after Waters secured her 15th kill of the game. A three-point streak by UC brought the score to 14 and match point. UC concluded its dominating two-set comeback the same way it started the match, on a service ace by Heckenmuller. 

Tulane 3, SMU 1

The Tulane volleyball team moved to 5-7 overall and 3-2 in American Athletic Conference play on Thursday night, defeating SMU (5-4, 1-4 AAC) in a four-set battle on the road in the Moody Coliseum.

The Olive and Blue recorded 66 kills, 81 digs, 59 assists and 10.0 blocks in the match, outscoring the Mustangs in all categories but one.

"I'm incredibly happy for our players," head coach Jim Barnes said. "They have dealt with adversity, lineup changes due to injury and a different system moving to a 5-1, and we won a close, tough road match against one of our top rivals. Taylor [Henigsman] ran the offense well and Lexie [Douglas] and Yvette [Burcescu] were nearly unstoppable. Our team really came together."

Senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas helped lead the Green Wave to a 3-1 win on both sides of the court, tying her career-high with 22 kills while hitting .327 and also recording a career-high 21 digs.

Also notching double-digit kills was junior right side hitter Yvette Burcescu with 13, leading the team with a .400 hitting clip, and junior middle hitter Kayla Dinkins with 11, who also tied a career-high with nine blocks.

Junior setter Taylor Henigsman was also a key performer in Tulane's victory, notching a career-high 52 assists, while adding nine digs, four kills and two blocks.

Freshman libero Sophia Ervanian totaled 19 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Jillian Dits added 13 and senior defensive specialist Mia Primavera added 10.

SMU jumped out to an early lead in the match, ahead by seven with a 19-12 score that forced a Tulane timeout. The Green Wave came out strong following the huddle, as kills from sophomore outside hitter Lizzy Stefanov, Burcescu and Dinkins sent the Olive and Blue on a 4-0 run to make it 19-16 and force a Mustangs timeout. Tulane took its first lead of the night at 25-24 with a block from Henigsman and Dinkins, with ties continuing at each point for the remainder of the match until the Mustangs closed it out, 33-31, to take a 1-0 lead.

The Green Wave took an early 4-1 lead in the second set, staying ahead until the Mustangs came back to tie it up at 7-7. The teams were tied again at 13-13 and, similar to the first set, were tied at each remaining point until Tulane was able to close it out at 25-23 to even the match at 1-1. The Olive and Blue demonstrated a strong defensive unit in the second set, holding the Mustangs to a .125 hitting percentage.

Tulane grabbed a 6-1 lead to start the third set, staying ahead until a 6-0 Mustangs run tied the score at 14-14. A 4-0 Green Wave run, with a kill from Stefanov, an ace from senior defensive specialist Nicole Levine and a block from Stefanov and Dinkins, put the Olive and Blue back on top, 19-15. Tulane would ultimately stay ahead to finish it out, taking a 2-1 match lead with a 25-20 score.

The fourth set was a battle all the way through, with tie scores to start until SMU took a 15-12 lead. A 3-0 Green Wave run put Tulane ahead, 16-15, until the Mustangs evened the score again at 20-20. A kill from Douglas put the Olive and Blue at match point, 24-23, before a second kill from the senior solidified the win for the Wave with a 25-23 score to avoid a fifth set of action.