Memphis, Tulane Kick Off Week 4 AAC Play

Courtesy: American Athletic Conference

American Athletic Conference volleyball teams hold a .635 winning percentage against other conferences this season and are set for their final nonconference tournaments to be played this weekend.

Conference play gets underway on Friday, September 21. Four teams are coming off weekend sweeps, as UCF, Memphis, USF and Tulsa each went 3-0. UCF’s McKenna Melville, Memphis’ Hannah Flowers, USF’s Jaeden Brown, Tulane’s Kaylie McHugh and Tulsa’s Rachel Moore each earned MVP honors last weekend. Cincinnati and Wichita State continued to receive votes in this week’s AVCA National Coaches’ Poll. Nine of the league’s 12 teams hold winning records heading into Week 4, as the conference prepares for 37 matches.

• Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson ranks among the best in the country for a second-straight week. Thompson leads the nation in kills (236), kills per set (5.90), points (257) and points per set (6.43). She reached 30 kills for the third match in two weeks in a 3-2 win over East Tennessee State last Friday. The Bearcats (7-2) have shown grit under a core group of returners, as Cincinnati is 5-1 in five-set matches this season. The Bearcats open their home slate at St. Ursula Academy for the Queen City Classic, welcoming Eastern Kentucky, Indiana and Xavier to the gym this weekend.
• UCF (6-3) opened its home schedule at the UCF Challenge, going 3-0, and will host Alabama State, Florida Gulf Coast and Yale for the Volleyknights Invitational this weekend. Melville continues to shine in her rookie campaign, as she was named MVP of the UCF Challenge after leading the Knights with 3.70 kills and 3.80 digs per set, while hitting .275 over the weekend. She ranks second in the conference with 4.23 kills per set.
• USF has won five in a row and is off to its best start since 1996 with an 8-1 record. The Bulls went 3-0 at the Blackbirds Invitational hosted by 2017 NEC champion LIU Brooklyn. USF is 7-0 in five-set matches since the start of the 2017 season, winning four this season. The Bulls have garnered the past two American Defensive Player of the Week awards with libero CC Clausen and middle blocker Jaeden Brown taking home awards. USF will stay in Tampa for the USF Classic this weekend, as the Bulls host North Dakota, New Orleans and Charlotte.
• Memphis (6-5) moved into the winning column after a 3-0 showing last weekend at its home tournament. Hannah Flowers was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tiger Invitational and ranks No. 4 in the country with 27 aces this year. She ranks No. 3 in the conference, averaging 4.44 points per set. Kelsey Walter is No. 7 in the nation with a conference-high 55 blocks. The Tigers set a conference record for three-set matches with 14 service aces against North Alabama last Saturday. Memphis heads to Oxford, Miss., on Tuesday night to take on Ole Miss before taking a trip to the nation’s capital for matches against Georgetown, Coppin State and George Washington.
• Tulsa (7-2) joins USF on a five-match winning streak heading into this weekend’s action, which includes Illinois State and No. 21 Marquette in Milwaukee. The Golden Hurricane went 3-0 at the Reynolds Center in tournament action to begin its home slate. Reigning American Libero of the Year Taylor Horsfall leads the conference and ranks No. 18 in the nation with 5.50 digs per set.
  Houston (11-1) has maintained the best record in The American and will look to carry the momentum into this weekend when the Cougars head to Moon Township, Pa., for the RMU Sheraton Invitational. Houston will face Eastern Michigan, Duquesne and Robert Morris. The Cougars lead the nation in kills (589), service aces (86) and assists (553).
• ECU (7-3) and Tulane (8-3) have dominated in three-set matches. The Green Wave is 8-0 when playing three this season, while the each of the Pirates’ seven wins were 3-0 victories. Tulane heads to Hammond, La., Tuesday night, where it will face Southeastern Louisiana before returning to Avron B. Fogelman Arena to host the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Volleyball Classic. The Green Wave is 4-0 at home this season. ECU holds a 2-1 road record and will see Morgan State, Lehigh and William & Mary in the 2nd Colonial Classic this weekend.
• Each team Wichita State (4-4) has faced this season earned a postseason bid last year. Wichita State will look to snap a four-match slide when it travels to Denton, Texas, to face Stephen F. Austin, North Texas and No. 14 Cal Poly.
• UConn (6-4), SMU (2-6) and Temple (1-8) will also look to get back on track, as all three teams will be welcoming opponents to their home courts this weekend. The Huskies will host the Dog Pound Challenge, the Mustangs will host the SMU DoubleTree Invitational and the Owls will host the Cherry & White Challenge.