University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
18-9, 9-8
Georgia
6-21, 2-15
TENNESSEE SWEEPS AWAY GEORGIA
November 10, 2006 | Volleyball
Nov. 10, 2006
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ATHENS, Ga. - The University of Tennessee volleyball team (18-9, 9-8 Southeastern Conference) cruised to a three-game sweep over Georgia, 30-23, 30-26, 30-25, Friday night at the Ramsey Student Center in Athens, Ga. The victory marks the Lady Vols eighth straight over the Bulldogs.
"This was a very good team win," UT head coach Rob Patrick said. "Our setters, Chelsea (Noble) and Jena (Berg), did a great job of distributing the ball and getting a lot of players involved in our offense."
"The key to this match was our great ball control to start each play, whether it was a serve receive or a dig," Patrick said. "I am especially happy with the great passing from Annie (Sadowski), Kelsey (Fautsch) and Kylie (Marshall). That passing and setting efficiency directly contributed to the success of our middle hitters tonight."
Senior Kelsey Fautsch posted team-highs in both kills and digs with 12 of each, while fellow classmate Sarah Blum tallied a season-high .600 hitting percentage, pounding out 10 kills on 15 attacks with only one error. Freshman Leah Hinkey also had a standout performance from the middle hitter position with a .500 attack average (9-1-16), a squad-best five blocks and a career-high four digs. On the right side, sophomore Mindy Flynn added 11 kills of her own.
The squad's best offensive outputs, however, belonged to freshman Kylie Marshall and sophomore Chelsea Noble. Marshall hit at an .833 clip with five kills on six attempts and Noble was perfect with a kill in each of her three swings. The team's combined attack average of .366 marked its second highest of the season.
The Lady Vols blasted their way to a 30-23 victory in the initial frame, committing only one attack error and knocking out 20 kills on 39 attempts for a .487 hitting percentage. UT used four runs of three or more points, with the final scoring run being capped off by a hard kill from Flynn, to jump out to a 19-9 lead. The two teams would trade the following 16 points before Georgia attempted to mount a comeback, scoring on four consecutive plays to shrink the lead to six. A Patrick timeout and a Flynn blast down the center of the court, however, halted their momentum and effectively ended the frame.
The second game provided more of a challenge, but the Orange and White was able to fight its way to a 30-26 win and a two-game lead heading into the intermission. Down 8-9, Carol Cheade started a UT five-point run with a kill that ricocheted off a Bulldog defender and out of play. Another Flynn kill ended the run and gave her team a four-score advantage at 13-9. Georgia clawed its way back to a one-point deficit before Tennessee rattled off three-straight to retake a four-score advantage. The game remained close until the Lady Vols put it out of reach with a four-point scoring rally that extended their lead to 29-26. Yet another Flynn kill accounted for the final point of the game.
The Big Orange closed out the match with a 30-25 win in the third and final frame. Georgia held the advantage halfway through the set, with a 19-15 lead. UT, however, had an answer and claimed nine of the next 10 points to take the lead for good. A cross-court slam by Marshall put an exclamation point on the Tennessee win.
The Lady Vols will next be in action when they travel to Columbia, S.C., to take on the University of South Carolina at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The matchup with the Gamecocks will be televised by CSS.
