University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol Volleyball Extends Its SEC Winning Streak To Three
October 13, 2000 | Volleyball
- Box Score
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer volleyball team picked up its third straight Southeastern Conference win on Friday in the Stokely Athletics Center. The 15-12, 15-11, 15-3 victory was closer than the score showed and marked the Lady Vols eighth three-game victory of the season.
"I thought Georgia deserved to win the first two games. They could have went either way," head coach Rob Patrick said. "Like we have all season, tonight we fought longer than the other team and that was the difference."
Sophomore outside hitter Kelli Scott (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) continued the strong play which earned her AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week honors, leading the team with 17 kills and chipping in five digs. Junior co-captain outside hitter Ariana Wilson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) added 12 kills and two blocks while her co-captain junior setter Erica Lear (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East) paced the offense with 51 assists and led the Orange and White on defense with six digs.
Georgia was led by Jessica Leverette, who had 11 kills while her teammate Jennifer Foytich was on her way to a double-digit kill performance when she went down with a sprained ankle in game two. Leverette left the match with eight kills. Poor hitting in the third game doomed the Bulldogs as their .000 hitting percentage dropped their match-total to .181. Tennessee hit .325 on the evening.
"Tonight Kelli Scott has stepped up and started to play consistent," said Patrick. "Tonight it was a team effort, Trinia (Cuseo) started slow but got her game on track in the end, and you can never over look the play of Ariana (Wilson) and Erica (Lear)."
Sophomore middle blocker Janelle Hester (Davenport, Iowa/Davenport) posted 10 kills and five blocks in the win. Freshman middle blocker Trinia Cuseo (Forestville, Calif./El Molino) ended up with eight kills and three assists. UT received a boost from sophomore Jennifer Elliott (Kyle, Texas/Hayes). Elliott has missed much of the season, suffering from tendonitis in her knees. Tonight she recorded a solid seven-kill, four-dig and two-block performance.
Patrick's squad improve to 15-3 overall and 5-1 in the SEC. Georgia falls to 9-9 overall and 1-5 in the SEC.
The Lady Vols return to action on Sunday when they host the Florida Gators in the Stokely Athletics Center. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Florida's Sunshine Network.
