March 18, 2004

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Coming off its first-ever appearance in the Conference USA championship finals and a 30-6 season, the University of Memphis volleyball team will begin preparing for the 2004 fall season with a spring tournament at the Finch Center on the U of M campus, Saturday. The Tigers will welcome Ole Miss, Birmingham Southern and cross-town rival Christian Brothers to the first tournament of the spring.

The Tigers will be looking to see who will step up to replace seniors Brittany Barnett and Shella Neba. Barnett, a second-team all-conference honoree, finished second on the team in kills (520) and hitting percentage (.238) and Neba, an all-tournament honoree in the U of M Fall tournament who led the team in blocks (146) and hitting percentage (.298), have left sizeable holes for the Tigers to fill.

Returning for Memphis will be outsides Tiara Gilkey, Kristen Hardee, Nancy Nellans and Jennie Toronto. Gilkey was a third-team all-conference honoree, In addition to replacing Barnett's offense, that quartet of players will also have to step up in the Tiger passing game, as Barnett was a four-year passer in the Tigers' serve-receive plan. In the middle, Fehi Tuivai and Melissa Nance will be looking to fill in where Neba left off. Both saw significant playing time in 2004 and this spring should help them prepare for more opportunities next fall.

The Tigers will have the luxury of two returning setters and defensive specialists for 2004. Setter Heather Watts, a third-team all conference honoree, will be back to quarterback the offense, while setter Hristina Slancheva, who played a big role in the Tigers' serving game, will also be back with a year of game experience under her belt. On the defensive side, Christen Clayton and Emily Steckel will each have a year of collegiate experience in the books, and will be looked to for passing and defense to set up the offense.

The tournament begins at 8 a.m. and the Tigers' first match will be at 9:30, Saturday. The Finch Center is located on the corner of Echles and Spottswood, across from the U of M tennis courts and attached to the University Recreation Center.

Memphis will also play spring tournaments at Arkansas, April 10th, and at Tennessee, April 17th.