Nov. 23, 2004

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - After leading Memphis to its second Conference USA Tournament semifinal appearance in as many years, senior setter Heather Watts was named to the 2004 ChevronTexaco Conference USA All-Tournament team. Watts received the honors last year after the Tigers advanced to the C-USA title match for the first time in school history.

Watts, who led the league in assists all year, capped a stellar career by breaking the C-USA mark for assists in a single season. She broke the previous record of 1,792 assists, which she set in 2003, with a 61-assist performance in the Tigers' five-game victory over TCU in the quarterfinal round. Watts, who also earned C-USA Setter of the Year honors prior to the tournament, finished the year with 1,830 assists. For the tournament, the Sandy, Utah native posted 142 assists (13.81 assists/game) in Memphis's three tournament matches.

Memphis made a strong run in the tournament over the weekend. A sweep of DePaul in the opening round, gave the Tigers an opportunity for a rematch with TCU, who had beaten them just nine days earlier. Memphis defeated the Horned Frogs, 3-2, in what was perhaps the tournament's most evenly matched contest. Louisville eliminated the Tigers in the semifinals, 3-0. The Cardinals went on the defeat Marquette 3-0 to claim their fourth C-USA crown.

The Tigers finished the 2004 season with a 27-10 mark. Memphis has now won at least 25 matches in each of the last two seasons. The 57 triumphs in 2003 and 2004 are the most over a two-year span since Diane Hale led the Tigers to 68 wins in the 1980 and 1981 seasons.

All Tournament Team:

Heather Watts, Memphis

Julie DuPont, Cincinnati

Theresa Couglin, Marquette

Sarah Vernon, Marquette

Jennifer Hoffman, Louisville

MVP- Lena Ustymenko, Louisville