CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – After a tough five-set defeat to host Southeast Missouri State Friday, the Memphis Tigers (6-3) dropped two more five-set battles to Kansas City (8-1) and Marshall (3-7) respectively Saturday at the SEMO Invitational.
Memphis 2, Kansas City 3
25-17, 25-21, 20-25, 12-25, 12-15
Set 1
- Memphis opened the match on a 7-1 run
- The Roos pulled within two points at 9-7 but never got closer
- The Tigers got consecutive kills from Elizabeth Orf and Tabytha Toelke as part of a run that put them in command 20-11
- Miaya Smith's lone kill of the set capped the set for the Tigers
Set 2
- Five ties and five lead changes highlighted the most competitive set of the match
- Kansas City opened the set on a 3-0 run, Memphis answered with a 4-0 run, and the Roos followed with a 5-0 run to lead 8-4
- The Roos opened the lead to four before Memphis took the lead 16-15 with a 4-0 run
- Kills from Orf and Toelke highlighted Memphis' 5-0 run that put the Tigers in front 21-17
- Autumn Hamilton and Sabrina Bianco connected with consecutive kills for Memphis on the final two points of the set
Set 3
- Memphis trailed 3-0, 5-1, 8-2, 10-3, and 18-6, but battled back with an 11-1 run to pull within two at 17-19
- The Tigers got back within a pair on two Kansas City errors at 20-22, but the Roos scored three of the final four points to take their first set of the match
Set 4
- Kansas City began the set on a 5-2 run
- Memphis scored three straight on kills by Hamilton, Smith, and Toelke to tie it 7-7
- The Roos went on a 10-0 run to expand the lead to 17-7 and closed the set on a 6-1 run
Set 5
- The final set featured a match-high five ties but only one lead change
- The Roos jumped out to a 10-6 lead
- Memphis went on a 3-1 run to pull back within two at 9-11
- At 14-10 Kansas City, the Tigers fought off two match points before a kill by De'Janae Arnold ended the match
Memphis 2, Marshall 3
25-15, 12-25, 17-25, 25-22, 10-15
Set 1
- Memphis jumped out to an early 3-1 lead and never trailed
- Smith, Bianco, and Toelke each had kills as part of a 4-0 Memphis run that put the Tigers in front 14-7
- The Tigers struck for three of the set's final four points to run away with the opening set
Set 2
- Marshall had control of the set from the get-go, taking the first two points of the set and never trailing
- The Tigers pulled within two at 4-6 before the Thundering Herd scored five straight
- A 7-0 Marshall run made it 18-5, while a 4-1 run ended the set for the Herd
Set 3
- Like the second set, Marshall led early, and the Tigers couldn't dig out of the early 4-0 hole
- Memphis got within three at 8-11 on a kill by Toelke
- The teams alternated points that kept the Marshall lead at four or five before the Thundering Herd scored the final four points of the set
Set 4
- For the fourth consecutive set, Marshall scored the opening point, this time with three straight
- Marshall's lead got as high as five at 3-8 before the Tigers pulled within one at 10-11
- A pair of Marshall attack errors put Memphis in front for the first time in the set 15-14
- At 15-15, the Tigers went on a 5-0 run and held the lead for the rest of the set
Set 5
- Memphis scored the opening point for the first time in the match
- The Tigers led by one or two points for nearly the entire set before Marshall leveled the set 7-7 and 10-0
- Memphis took an 11-10 lead before the Thundering Herd closed the match on a 5-0 run
Tigers Tidbits
- Sabrina Bianco recorded a double-double in the opening match against Kansas City and came one dig away from a double-double against Marshall
- Tabytha Toelke set a new career-high with 15 kills against Marshall
- Autumn Hamilton had double-digit kills in both Saturday matches and finished the SEMO Invitational with 40 kills
Up Next
- The Tigers return to Memphis and host the Tiger Brawl Friday and Saturday
- Memphis will host Arkansas – Pine Bluff, Arkansas State, and UT Martin for the two-day tournament
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Volleyball, visit www.