University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Florida
LADY VOLS WIN SHARE OF SEC TITLE, END THE STREAK
November 14, 2004 | Volleyball
Nov. 14, 2004
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The 15th-ranked University of Tennessee volleyball squad saw its first five-game match of the season end with joy as the Lady Vols topped No. 7 Florida, 30-21, 23-30, 25-30, 31-29, 15-12, to earn a share of their first SEC regular-season championship in school history.
In the process, the Lady Vols made history by ending three astounding SEC winning streaks that Florida brought into the match: a 145-match regular season winning streak (an NCAA record), a 121-match overall (including SEC Tournaments) winning streak (also an NCAA record) and a 109-match home winning streak.
The last team to defeat Florida in a regular-season match was South Carolina by a 6-15, 15-12, 15-13, 15-12 score on Nov. 13, 1994. The last squad to win any SEC match versus the Gators was Arkansas in the SEC Tournament title match, 15-7, 15-7, 17-15, in Athens, Ga., on Nov. 23, 1997. The last time Florida lost at home in the SEC was on Sept. 30, 1990, by a 15-7, 15-9, 15-11 score to LSU.
The Lady Vols earned not only its third win ever against a top-10 team and the first one since Sept. 17, 1983, when the Orange and White topped No. 9 Arizona State, 3-1. Prior to that, Tennessee defeated No. 7 Arizona, 2-1, on Nov. 5, 1982.
"I couldn't be happier for this group of young ladies," Head Coach Rob Patrick said. "We talked last January about what it would take to win the SEC and I told them that we would have to put more time in the gym and get stronger, starting in January. This is one of the most focused teams that I've ever been a part of. It's just neat to see that all the hard work ends up accounting for something.
"We've had a couple people, Michelle (Piantadosi) and Whitney (Gifford), who have been here for four years, who came here to be in NCAA Tournaments and play for SEC Championships, and look who got it done today: Whitney and Michelle.
"Today was a Sweet 16, Elite Eight type of match; that's how high level this match was. It's going to help us prepare for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
 Tennessee celebrates after upending Florida on their home court |
"One of the things that I think people hopefully will understand is how good the SEC is this year. I don't think we've ever got our recognition because Florida was so good for so long and other teams weren't getting their due for so long. We have a lot of good teams in this league."
After Florida took a 2-0 advantage in the first game, UT responded with a 5-0 run and did not relinquish its lead the remainder of the game, winning, 30-21. The 21 points scored is the lowest in an SEC game in Florida history (since rally scoring came into effect in 2001), previously set when the Gators scored 26 in a 30-26 game-one loss to UT on Oct. 22, 2004. UT hit .359 in the game, while holding the Gators to a .143 hitting percentage.
The Gators rebounded to win game two, 30-23. UF pulled away from a 9-9 tie to tie the match, 1-1. Florida then took game three, 30-25, keeping Tennessee from holding the lead the entire game. UT did rally back from a 23-17 deficit to come within two at 25-23 and 26-24, but UF ended the game on a 4-1 run.
Tennessee took control of the fourth game from the outset, taking 8-3, 12-5, 18-11 and 26-19 advantages before Florida mounted a furious comeback with an 8-1 run to tie the game at 27. The Gators then battled back from a 29-28 game point to tie the game at 29 but UT scored the final points for the 31-29 victory.
Game five went back-and-forth as neither team could muster a two-point lead until Florida took an 8-6 advantage. After UF had a 9-7 lead, Tennessee then went on a 6-0 run for a 13-9 lead and put away the Gators, 15-12. The winning point came off a kill from freshman outside hitter Yuliya Stoyanova (Sofia, Bulgaria / 81 SOU Victor Hugo H.S.).
Senior outside hitter Michelle Piantadosi (Boca Raton, Fla. / Olympic Heights H.S.) recorded a career high 26 kills, while hitting .393 (26-4-56). Junior outside hitter Amy Morris (Michigan City, Ind. / Penn State) had 16 kills, Stoyanova tallied 14 and junior middle blocker Kristen Andre (Kelseyville, Calif. / Kelseyville H.S.) recorded 13.
Junior setter Julie Knytych (LaGrange Park, Ill. / Lyons Township H.S.) recorded 68 assists to tie her career high, previously occurring against Ole Miss on Sept. 26, 2003, by a 3-1 score.
Defensive leaders included sophomore middle blocker Sarah Blum (Tulsa, Okla. / Bishop Kelley H.S.) with nine blocks, Stoyanova with six and Andre with five. Dig leaders were Morris with 31, the fourth-highest total in UT history and a personal record. Sophomore libero Annie Sadowski (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton-Warrenville H.S.) had 20 digs, Knytych contributed 15, junior defensive specialist Jasmine Fullove (Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Snider H.S.) contributed 11 and sophomore defensive specialist Cynthia Buggs (Compton, Calif. / Long Beach Poly H.S.) tallied 11.
The Lady Vols head right back to Gainesville, Fla., for the SEC Tournament to be played from Nov. 19-21. Tennessee will be a No. 2 seed and face the seventh seed, Auburn (11-13, 6-10 SEC).
