BIRMINGHAM ? The Lady Mocs volleyball team came into Saturday matched up against another tough non-conference opponent in the Memphis Tigers. The Tigers entered the day 9-3 and were able to squeak by the Mocs 25-23 in the game's first set, en route to a 3-0 victory. Memphis took sets two and three 25-18 and 25-19, respectively.

Courtney Barnes led the Lady Mocs offense with eight kills. The sophomore also posted a hitting percentage of .286 on the afternoon. Cassie Conner was the team's primary setter on Saturday with a team-high 29 assists, and Lara Newberry led the team's defense with 17 digs.

Just like its match with Florida International, the Lady Mocs fought tough with the Tigers in the first set. Both teams found itself tied at 22-apiece before Memphis was able to put two points on the board for set point. A Barnes kill would put the Lady Mocs within one, but Memphis put the opening frame away with a kill from Carolyn Baker.

In the second and third sets, the Tiger offense only committed seven errors to drop the Lady Mocs to 4-9 on the season. In the second frame, the Lady Mocs hung tough as both squads were nodded at 8-apiece. Memphis would then go on a 12-4 run to go up 20-12, as the Tigers took the second game, 20-18.

The third set began strong for UTC as Cassie Conner started the frame with three straight service aces. Memphis would then right itself, and began to chip away at the Lady Mocs' early lead. Kaitlin Inglish put down five kills for the Tigers in the set as Memphis had a hitting percentage of .317, and ended the match with a 25-19 victory in the final frame.

On Tuesday the Lady Mocs will travel to Kennesaw State for the team's final non-conference game of the season. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.