University of Tennessee Athletics
Volleyball Gears Up For Road Trip
November 01, 2007 | Volleyball
Match Notes
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ??? The University of Tennessee volleyball team (9-13, 4-10 Southeastern Conference) will hit the road this weekend as it is scheduled to take on SEC Western Division-foes Ole Miss and LSU. The Lady Vols will first travel to Oxford, Miss., for a 7 p.m. CT contest on Friday, Nov. 2, against the Rebels at the Gillom Sports Complex before making the trip to Baton Rouge, La., for a 1:30 p.m. showdown two days later at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center with the Fighting Tigers.
The Big Orange will be looking for a more consistent effort after splitting a pair of matches last weekend, in which it was able to stop a four-match slide with an impressive sweep of Georgia on Friday night, 30-24, 30-25, 30-27, but fell in four games to Auburn on Sunday afternoon, 22-30, 30-24, 30-25, 31-29. In its victory over the Bulldogs, the Orange and White was led by a dominating defensive performance put up by sophomore libero Chloe Goldman. With 31 digs, the Monterey, Calif., native registered a new school record for a three-game match. That total also stands as the most by a Southeastern Conference player in three games this season. Sophomore Jena Berg and senior Yuliya Stoyanova also posted the 14th and 23rd double-doubles of their respective careers in the win. Two days later against the Tigers, it was sophomore Leah Hinkey???s turn to notch a double-double, posting team highs in both kills (13) and blocks (10), in addition to a squad-best .333 hitting percentage (13-4-33).
With just seven matches remaining in the regular-season portion of the 2007-08 campaign, freshman Nikki Fowler leads the team in four major statistical categories, including kills (247), attacks (741), kills per game (2.91) and points (313.5). Sophomore Leah Hinkey has also put up solid numbers, ranking just behind Fowler in all four of those categories with 238 kills, 548 attacks, 2.80 kills per game and 309.5 points. She also leads the squad with a .286 hitting percentage. Defensively, sophomore Chloe Goldman has been the Lady Vols??? top performer with 449 total digs and a 5.28 digs per game average which ranks fourth in the SEC. The Monterey, Calif., native needs just 58 more digs to overtake Amy Morris??? single-season UT digs record of 506 set in 2005.
Scouting Ole Miss
Tennessee will put its perfect 13-0 all-time record in Oxford on the line Friday night when it is set square off with Ole Miss at 7 p.m. CT. Although the Rebels came away with a five-game win over UT on Oct. 14, the Lady Vols have dominated the all-time series to the tune of 31-5. All five losses, however, have come in Knoxville.
This season, Ole Miss has already reached the 20-win mark (20-6), doing so for the first time since the 1989 campaign. With a 9-5 conference record, the Rebels currently stand in a tie with LSU for second in the SEC Western Division. Senior Katie Kramer has done most of the heavy lifting on offense this season, but Ole Miss will also look to sophomore Caitlin Weiss and junior Emily Jones for significant contributions. With 352 kills and a 3.67 kills per average, Kramer ranks seventh among all league participants. Weiss and Jones, meanwhile, have amassed kill totals of 287 and 213, respectively. Defensively, senior libero Tara Langley has put up solid numbers with 5.09 digs per game, good enough for fifth in the conference, while Jones and senior Lauren Moffatt battle for the team lead in blocks with totals of 85 and 81.
The best all-around player on the team, however, may be junior setter Rachel Kieckhaefer who averages 1.45 kills per game, 11.38 assists per game and 3.24 digs per game. She is also second on the team with a .282 hitting percentage.
Last Time Versus the Rebels
The Orange and White will be looking to avenge a heart-breaking, five-game loss to Ole Miss suffered earlier this year on Oct. 14 in Knoxville. In spite of the defeat, sophomore Farren Powe, freshman Nikki Fowler and sophomore Jena Berg recorded the first, sixth and 12th double-doubles of their careers, respectively. Powe pounded out 10 kills to go along with a career-high 10 blocks, while Fowler notch 14 putaways and 10 digs. Berg, meanwhile, amassed 48 assists, in addition to 11 digs during the contest.
Scouting LSU
In a regionally televised match, Tennessee will take on LSU at 1:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 4. The Tigers enter the weekend with an 18-6, 9-5 SEC record, and will take on Kentucky two days prior to the Lady Vols??? arrival. Although UT picked up an impressive five-game victory over the then-No. 18 Tigers, it still trails the all-time series 27-16. The triumph snapped a string of three straight LSU wins over Tennessee.
In the top half of virtually every statistical category in the SEC, LSU has been especially impressive defensively, holding opponents to a .148 hitting percentage (second in the league), blocking 2.94 attacks per game (third) and digging up 17.03 balls per frame (fifth). Individually, the Tiger offense is paced by sophomore setter Maggie Lonergan who averages 12.15 assists per game. Her primary target this season has been junior Kyna Washington who ranks fourth in the conference with 4.11 kills per frame. Washington is also second in the league with 0.54 aces per game. On defense, junior libero Elena Martinez and sophomore Lauren DeGirolamo lead the way. With 520 total digs and 5.47 digs per game, Martinez sits atop the SEC leaderboard, while DeGirolamo stands in sixth with 1.32 blocks per game.
Last Time Versus the Tigers
On Sunday, Nov. 4, the Lady Vols will go for the season sweep of LSU after winning a thrilling, five-game contest over the Tigers on Oct. 12. Sophomore libero Chloe Goldman led the team to victory that day, registering the second most digs in a single-match in UT history with 37. Three Lady Vols also posted double-doubles in the contest, as freshman Fowler recorded a team-high 20 kills on a personal-best 51 swings, in addition to racking up 12 digs, sophomore setter Jena Berg paced the Big Orange attack with a career-high 61 assists, while digging up 14 LSU attacks and sophomore Kylie Marshall rounded out the squad???s effort by tying her personal-best with 11 kills and finishing second on the team with 15 digs.
Former UT Standout To Be Inducted into Lady Vol Hall of Fame
Included among this year???s class of Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame inductees is former UT volleyball standout Dianne (Shoemaker) DeNecochea. A star for the Lady Vol volleyball team from 1985-88, she was an offensive force and shattered the UT record books on a number of occasions. She still holds spots among the top 10 on seven career charts and three single-season records lists, including first for both kills per game (5.69 in 1988) and attacks per game (11.95 in 1988). Also an academic standout, she received two Chancellor???s Citations for Academic Excellence. A professional volleyball player since 1989, DeNecochea competes on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour and makes her home in San Diego, California.
Enshrinement activities are scheduled for Friday evening (Nov. 2) at the Crowne Plaza, where a private induction ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. A full day follows on Sat., Nov. 3, when the Hall of Famers will meet with the current athletes and staff of their respective former Lady Vol teams. Later that day, the celebration moves to Neyland Stadium, where the honorees will be saluted during the Tennessee versus Louisiana-Lafayette homecoming football game.
Elvis Has Left the Building
Known for his fiery personality on the sidelines, UT head coach Rob Patrick displayed his more jovial side on Halloween, dressing up as former Tennessee native and Rock and Roll icon Elvis Presley just before a scheduled film session. Upon his arrival to the team room, Presley, err, Patrick, was greeted with shrieks of laughter from his team which had no idea of his planned stunt.
Super Sophomores
One of the main keys for Tennessee this season has been the continued improvement of its highly-heralded sophomore class. The group of seven elite athletes was ranked as high as the sixth-best recruiting class in the country prior to the 2006 campaign and it has lived up to its billing so far.
All seven players saw competitive action during their rookie campaigns and have pushed for even more playing time this year. Led by 2006 All-SEC Freshman Team member middle blocker Leah Hinkey, the unit also includes this season???s starting setter Jena Berg, libero Chloe Goldman and outside hitter Kylie Marshall, as well as Jaye Loyd, Carol Cheade and Farren Powe.
In 2007, the seven-member sophomore class has accounted for 93.0 percent of the team???s assists, 75.9 percent of its digs, 64.2 percent of its aces, 55.7 percent of the squad???s blocks, 47.9 percent of its kills and 47.3 percent of UT???s total attacks. The group has also hit at a .197 clip, surpassing the team average of .180 and the .170 mark put up by the other seven players on the squad.
Chasing History
As the 2007 season begins to wind down, both senior Yuliya Stoyanova and sophomore Chloe Goldman are closing in on a pair of historic accomplishments.
With 1,274 career kills, Stoyanova needs just 66 more to surpass Janelle Hester???s total of 1,339 and move into ninth place on the school???s all-time kills chart. Stoyanova is currently tied for 10th with former teammate Michelle Piantadosi.
Goldman, meanwhile, ranks second on UT???s single-season digs list with 449 thus far this season. She would need 58 more digs over the team???s final seven matches to take over the top spot, currently held by Amy Morris??? 2005 total of 506 digs. Goldman will also finish with the highest single-season digs per game average if she can hold onto her current average of 5.28.
It???s All About the Hitting Percentage
The Lady Vols??? struggles this season can be directly linked to its hitting percentage. In UT???s nine victories, it has amassed a .232 attack average with just 215 errors in 1,325 swings. In its 13 losses, however, the Orange and White has hit just .146 with 353 errors in 2,090 attacks.
The Big Orange has also posted a perfect 7-0 record when hitting over .200 as a team, as opposed to a 2-13 mark when hitting below that average.
Fowler Making an Impact
Despite the fact that she is just 22 matches into her collegiate career, freshman Nikki Fowler has already made a significant impact in the Lady Vol lineup.
After making her debut against No. 1 Nebraska, the Dallas, Texas, native used her all-around game to help propel UT to a 3-2 victory over No. 21 Utah. When all was said and done, Fowler was near an almost inconceivable quadruple-double with 10 kills, nine assists, seven digs and seven blocks. She also added a pair of service aces for good measure.
She continued her terrific play Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, where she helped UT claim its fourth consecutive title in the tournament with 18 kills, 25 digs and 11 blocks in three matches.
At the State Farm Illini Classic, Sept. 7-8, Fowler really began to come into her own, posting career highs with 17 kills and 42 attacks against Marquette alone.
In the opening weekend of SEC action, the 6-2 rookie recorded the first two double-doubles of her young career, with 17 kills and 11 digs versus Alabama and 13 kills and 10 digs in UT???s 3-1 triumph over Mississippi State. She accomplished the feat twice more a little over a week later at Kentucky and versus Arkansas. Fowler posted 12 kills and a career-high 15 digs against the Wildcats before amassing a personal-best and team season-high 22 kills and 49 attacks, in addition to 11 digs, against the Lady???Backs.
She has continued her solid play as of late, leading the squad to a thrilling, five-game victory over then-No. 18 LSU on Oct. 12 with a team-high 20 kills. Fowler also had 12 digs to notch her fifth double-double, before recording her sixth just two days later with 14 kills and 10 digs against Ole Miss.
For the season, Fowler leads the team with 247 kills, 741attacks and 313.5 points, is second on the squad with 76 blocks and 25 aces, third with 59 assists and fourth in digs with 201.
Dig It Up
Sophomore Chloe Goldman has been nothing short of spectacular at the libero position for the Lady Vols this season, as she currently ranks fourth in the SEC with 5.28 digs per game.
She has led UT in the dig category a total of 20 times this year, missing out in only the initial contest of the campaign against No. 1 Nebraska and on the road versus Alabama on Oct. 21.
Eight times this season, Goldman has topped 25 digs in a single match and twice she has surpassed the 30-dig plateau. Before this season, the 25-dig barrier had only been broken 35 times in school history and 30 digs had been reached only seven times. Former Lady Vols Amy Morris and Kristy Dobson are the only other two players to crack 30 digs more than once in their careers and Morris is the only one to do it twice in the same season.
In her best effort of the season thus far, the Monterey, Calif., native accumulated 37 digs to lead the Lady Vols to a thrilling, five-game victory over No. 18 LSU on Oct. 12. The only UT player to have more in a single match was former SEC Defensive player of the Year Amy Morris who collected a school-record 42 against Notre Dame on Nov. 26, 2005. That mark also ranks as the most by any player in the SEC this season.
Just last weekend, Goldman put her name in the record books once again, recording the most digs in a three-game match in UT history with 31 in a three-game sweep over Georgia on Oct. 26. Fellow classmate Kylie Marshall had previously held the record with 26 digs at LSU on Oct. 22, 2006.
Replacing a Legend
This season, Tennessee has faced the unenviable task of replacing the program???s all-time blocks leader Sarah Blum.
In order to match the enormous numbers put up by the two-time All-SEC performer, the Lady Vols have not asked one person to take up the challenge, but instead looked for increased contributions from a number of people.
At the top of that list has been sophomore Leah Hinkey. A 6-2 middle blocker, Hinkey has put together a stellar sophomore campaign thus far, as she leads the team with 110 blocks and a .286 hitting percentage. She is also second on the team with 238 kills, 548 attacks and 309.5 points and third with 14 aces. Hinkey currently ranks seventh in the conference with 1.19 blocks per game as well as second on UT???s all-time blocks chart with 1.19 per frame.
Lady Vols on TV
The University of Tennessee volleyball team is scheduled to make one more television appearance this season, after playing before a national audience against No. 1 Nebraska in the season opener and taking on Alabama on Sept. 14 on FOX Sports Net South. The contest against the Huskers on Aug. 24 was televised live on CSTV.
The final scheduled television appearance for the Lady Vols will come this Sunday in Baton Rouge, La., when they take on LSU on the Pelican Sports Network.
Program Records Win No. 700
With a 3-1 victory over Mississippi State on Sept. 16, the Lady Vol volleyball team collected the 700th win in program history. Since records were first kept in 1973, UT has amassed a 703-469-16 record.
200 Wins ... And Counting
Lady Vol Head Coach Rob Patrick became just the second coach in UT volleyball history to record 200 career wins with a 3-1 victory over Arkansas on Sept. 17, 2006. Patrick is the second-winningest coach in Tennessee history, with a 219-120 record (.646). Bob Bertucci recorded a 229-115 (.662) mark from 1979-86.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native has led a resurgence of volleyball on the UT campus since his arrival in 1997. Six of the eight years prior to that season, UT had recorded losing campaigns, while Patrick has earned a winning record in each of the last nine years, en route to setting the school mark for consecutive seasons above .500. He bested the previous mark of seven (1978-84) with his 17th win of the 2006 campaign.
