University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
10-17, 5-14SEC
Kentucky
21-9, 12-7SEC
Wildcats, Weather Too Much For Lady Vols
November 14, 2007 | Volleyball
Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ??? On a wild Wednesday evening, the University of Tennessee volleyball team (10-17, 5-14 Southeastern Conference) could not overcome an hour-long delay due to weather or a hard-hitting Kentucky squad (21-9, 12-7 SEC), falling in four games, 28-30, 32-30, 30-19, 30-26, on Senior Night at Stokely Athletics Center in Knoxville, Tenn. Freshman Nikki Fowler led the team in kills for the seventh straight match with 17 putaways, while sophomore Leah Hinkey tied her career high with 16 kills in the loss.
???Our goal tonight was to slow down Kentucky???s middles and I thought we did a good job of making that happen,??? UT head coach Rob Patrick said. ???We served a very tough game, which I though took Kentucky out of what it wanted to do offensively. They had some players who have not been offensive weapons for them step up after we took out their two very athletic and skilled middles. I was proud of the way our team fought, but we were simply unable to sustain any sort of offensive diversity.???
Before the match, seniors Yuliya Stoyanova and Joselyn Johnson were honored for their terrific four years on Rocky Top. During their time at UT, the duo has helped the Lady Vols win almost two-thirds of their matches and advance to the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, including trips to the Sweet 16 and Final Four.
Against the Wildcats, Stoyanova finished third on the squad with 13 kills, while hitting at a team-best .312 clip with only three errors in 32 swings. Although limited to just one game due to injuries, Johnson earned a kill on her only attempt of the night.
???Yuliya has been terrific player for us the last four years,??? Patrick said. ???She allowed us to reach goals UT volleyball had never reached before. I am also extremely proud of her work ethic in coming back from her knee injury this year.
???Although Joselyn did not get to reach her full potential due to a number of injuries, she was a key leader for our team throughout her entire career. Her vocal leadership provided energy both to our practices and whenever she entered matches.???
In addition to her team-high 17 kills, Fowler notched her 10th double-double of the season with 12 digs as well. Sophomore Jena Berg accomplished the feat as well, with 53 assists and 14 digs. It was fellow classmate Kylie Marshall, however, who led the team in the digs category, collecting 15 in the match. Sophomores Chloe Goldman and Jaye Loyd each reached double-digits as well, with 13 and 10, respectively.
???Kylie was outstanding tonight,??? Patrick said. ???She did a tremendous job of playing a great all-around game, as did Nikki, who kept us in the game offensively.???
In a hotly contested initial frame, the Lady Vols were able to hold off a late Kentucky rally to claim the early lead in the match, 30-28. With the score knotted at 10-10, UT took advantage of three consecutive Wildcat errors to take the first substantial lead of the set. Eight plays later, the Big Orange was able to stretch its advantage to five with another three-point spree, featuring kills by Hinkey and Goldman, as well as an ace by Marshall. With Tennessee now up 20-15, UK head coach Craig Skinner called a timeout to halt the Lady Vols??? momentum.
The tactic worked, but his team was unable to move any closer than three before the score reached 28-24. At that point, the Wildcats came alive, however, evening the score at 28-all with points on four consecutive plays. After a UT serve landed long and an Orange and White attack was called out, Kentucky sophomore Brooke Bartek pounded out back-to-back kills. This time, it was Patrick???s turn to stop the match, calling his first timeout of the day. Straight out of the break, Fowler pounded out a kill and Berg recorded a solo block to dash the Wildcats??? hopes and close out the frame.
Tennessee kept its foot on the pedal at the beginning of game two, jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead. Kentucky would not fold though, slowly working its way back to within three at 16-13. With the Wildcats nipping at their heels, the Lady Vols soared back out to a six-point advantage with kills on three straight plays from Hinkey, Stoyanova and Fowler, prompting a Skinner timeout.
Once again, the stoppage in play worked wonders for the Wildcats, as they proceeded to embark on a five-score spree that brought them within one at 19-18. A Stoyanova smash ended the run, but it was all the Big Orange could do to hold off UK. The Wildcats eventually broke through and tied the score at 24-all, but a blast by sophomore Farren Powe kept them at bay once more. With the score all-square at 28-28, another kill by Powe gave her team a chance at game point. It was unsuccessful, however, as Kentucky???s Queen Nzenwa sent an attack crashing to the floor. She followed that smash by joining forces with Lauren Rapp to send back a UT attack and give the Wildcats a 30-29 lead. Stoyanova stopped UK???s first attempt with a kill, but Sarah Rumely followed with a dump from the setter position before a Tennessee attack error ended the frame and sent the two teams into their respective locker rooms tied at one game each.
In the third game, the Orange and White sailed quickly ahead once again, but five runs of three or more points spurred Kentucky to an eventual 30-19 triumph. With UT leading 7-3 after a kill by Fowler, back-to-back blasts by Hinkey and a smash by Stoyanova, the Wildcats proceeded to win six of the next seven points to take a 9-8 advantage of their own. After the Lady Vols regained their lead over UK with a kill by Powe that made it 12-11, it would be able to hold on to its advantage for just six more plays before the Wildcats took over for good.
Down by one at 15-14, a solo block by Rapp sparked a four-point rally that gave Kentucky a lead it would never relinquish. Following a kill by UT junior Milan Clarke, the Wildcats went on another four-point tear that put them ahead 22-16. From that point on, Tennessee would be able to muster only three more points as it fell behind two games to one.
In a wild fourth game that featured an hour-long delay, the Wildcats pulled away late to claim the set 30-26 and the match three games to one. The two teams were even out of the gate, fighting there way to a 3-3 tie. At that point, the match was forced to come to a stop due to a leak in the roof of Stokely Athletics Center. The two teams attempted to play through it, but just five points later, the referees halted the match once again with Kentucky leading 6-5. After a one-hour-and-one-minute delay in which the court was turned to move play away from the leak, the action resumed.
The Lady Vols seemed to benefit from the break, claiming the first three points on kills by Marshall and Fowler and a block by Hinkey and Marshall. The Wildcats quickly regrouped, however, claiming seven points in a row to go up 14-9. The Big Orange was not quite ready to give up yet though, winning 10 of the next 12 points to go up by three at 19-16. The final three UT scores in that spree all came by way of a block by Berg and Powe. After increasing its advantage to four at 21-17 on a kill by Marshall, the Wildcats decided enough was enough. With four straight scores, the score reached a deadlock, where it would remain until another run by UK, this time for three points, put it up for good. The Lady Vols never pulled closer than two the rest of the way before a block by Nicole Britenriker and Rapp sealed the deal.
Tennessee will close out the SEC portion of its schedule this Friday when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the University of Arkansas. First serve between the Lady Vols and Lady Razorbacks is set for 7 p.m. CST in Barnhill Arena.
??
