The University of Memphis volleyball team ends the season with a loss against Houston, but a bounce-back sweep versus Tulane. The team did not make the first AAC volleyball postseason, but head coach Sean Burdette was appreciative of the team to end the season on a high note and knows that the program is on the rise.
“Any time you can finish a season with a win, you’ve made progress,” Burdette said in a press release. “For us, it was more of a statement piece of where we’re going as a program.”
Hannah Flowers received her third AAC weekly honor roll of the season for her performance over the weekend. She has five total recognitions of her career.
Game vs Houston
The Tigers played the Cougars Friday and were handed a 3-1 loss. The scores from the match were 25-20, 25-19, 16-25 and 25-21. Memphis fell to 5-10 in the conference on the season and 16-11 on the season.
Hannah Flowers reached the 1,000 kill milestone in the contest by scoring 16 in the match. She is the 25th Tiger in program history to reach such a record, and the seventh to do so in just three years. Flowers also posted her 21st double figures kills match of the season, including six straight games.
Kaitlyn Gehler needed eight digs in the contest to put her name in the record book as she recorded 19. She is now placed at No. 9 among the program’s season digs leader with 431.
Rachel Tullos led the way for the Cougars on offense and defense. She tallied 11 kills and 12 blocks in the match. Megan Duncan also recorded 11 kills in the game.
Game vs Tulane
Winning the last home game on the season is always nice for a senior, and that was the case for Caitlin Schultz and Memphis. The Tigers defeated the Tulane Green Wave in a convincing 3-0 sweep. The scores of the match were 25-17, 25-23 and 25-23.
Schultz, in her final home game, came away with five kills and the set winner at the end of the second. Burdette spoke in the press release about his lone senior on her day.
“You always want that for your seniors, you want that for your players, to be able to carry and cherish that going forward,” Burdette said. “Caitlin stepped up and did a great job for us this weekend.”
Meredith Wallace and Flowers both ended the game with 12 kills. Gehler ended the season with 448 digs after notching 17 against the Green Wave Sunday.
The Green Wave was led by Lexie Douglas with 10 kills, three blocks and one ace. Kayla Dinkins had five kills and six blocks in the contest.
Season Recap
The University of Memphis volleyball team had a great year in terms of record and individual performances. They started the season 11-0 for the first time in program history. The Tigers ended the season with a winning record, which has not been done since 2015 when they finished that season 19-14.
Flowers ended the season with over 1,000 kills. She also ended the season fifth in kills per set in the conference and seventh in hitting percentage with a .329 average in the conference. Gehler ended the season with 448 digs, which is eighth-most for a season in the program’s history.
Even though conference play was tough, the Tigers season was a memorable one. This team is young, with Caitlin Schultz, the only lone senior. Flowers, Kinkaid Padgett, Anna Palmer, and Adjuwa Osborne will all be seniors next season. Key players like Gehler, Wallace and Sabrina Bianco are just sophomores. Burdette has a young developing team, and there is no telling how good they can be next season with everyone returning.
