University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
5-1
Xavier
1-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Xavier | 21 | 23 | 20 | 0 |
Tennessee Closes Out Xavier Invitational With Sweep of Musketeers
September 06, 2009 | Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2009
By Cameron Harris, Assistant Media Relations DirectorCINCINNATI, Ohio - The University of Tennessee volleyball team (5-1) used a strong blocking effort to finish off a successful stay at the Xavier Invitational as it swept the host Musketeers, 25-21, 25-23, 25-20, Sunday afternoon at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Junior Nikki Fowler and senior Farren Powe were named to the all-tournament team for their play over the weekend.
"We really felt that this weekend would give us a good idea of where we are at in terms of our development and I thought we answered the challenge in a very positive manner," UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. "We played three really different types of teams and had pretty good success against all of them. We weren't as organized as we needed to be against Michigan on Friday, but we did a good job of correcting that issue in our next two matches.
"Xavier played a fast and unique brand of volleyball that we were not used to and really made us work for every point today," Patrick said. "One of the reasons we were so successful was because we were able to establish Farren in the middle at the beginning of the match. When we are able to do that, it opens things up for everyone else. I was very impressed with her blocking and defense this weekend. Between her and Leah (Hinkey), we were really able to control the net."
As a team, the Lady Volunteers combined for a season-high 13.5 blocks, including nine from Powe. The senior from Mobile, Ala., narrowly missed out on a double-double, leading the squad with 10 kills as well. Powe finished the weekend with 20 kills, 14 blocks, three digs and a pair of aces en route to all-tournament team honors.
Also helping out at the net were senior Kylie Marshall and freshman Leslie Cikra who tallied five and four putbacks, respectively. Senior libero Chloe Goldman, meanwhile, was able to clean up almost everything that got past the block, finishing with a season-high 20 digs to give her a total of 47 for the weekend.
"I was very happy with Chloe (Goldman's) play today," Patrick said. "She was able to handle some tough serving from Xavier. We knew that the speed of their offense was going to cause a lot of splits in our blocks and she was going to have to dig a lot of balls to help us score points, and she was able to do just that."
After an MVP performance at last week's Comcast Lady Vol Classic, Fowler continued her impressive play, leading the team with 29 kills and six aces, in addition to tallying 28 digs and eight blocks over the course of the three-match competition.
The Big Orange wasted no time grabbing the momentum on Xavier's home court, sprinting out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set. During that initial run, senior Kylie Marshall was all over the place, collecting a kill from the right side, an ace on a nice topspin jump serve and joining forces with junior Leah Hinkey to block an attack by Kelly Ruth.
Following a timeout by Musketeer Head Coach Floyd Deaton, XU was able to steady itself and keep the deficit at five until putting together a four-score spree to move within one at 12-11. A sharp block by Powe and Marshall ended the run and the two teams traded the next two scores before Xavier took its first lead of the match with three consecutive points.
A service error by Claire Paszkiewicz evened things back up at 15-all, but XU got a kill by Hillary Otte to retake the advantage. That would be the Musketeers last lead of the frame, however, as Tennessee embarked on a four-point run punctuated by back-to-back solo blocks by Powe. Xavier would make one final push just two plays later, tying it up at 20-20 with a trio of scores, but the Lady Vols finished strong.
A service error gave the lead back to UT which followed with a triple block, a solo putback by Marshall and a cross-court kill by Cikra from the right side to the back-left corner of the court to move itself to set point. A kill by Xavier's Alex Smith kept the teams on the court for one more play, but Powe finished things off with her third kill of the frame.
Marshall got the Orange and White off to a quick start in the second set as well, helping her team gain a 6-2 advantage with a pair of aces and a block. Tennessee continued to extend its lead, which eventually reached five scores at 13-8. At that point, however, Xavier caught fire, scoring on five consecutive plays to tie it up. A hard shot by Fowler from the back row helped UT stop the run and steady itself though and the two teams battled hard over the next nine plays.
With a 19-17 lead, it was the Lady Vols' turn to go on an extended run, as they nearly ended the set by scoring five consecutive points. Powe opened the spree with a kill, which was immediately followed by an ace from Fowler. Powe added another putaway with a tip over the block, prompting Deaton to burn his second and final timeout of the frame. The short stoppage in play did little to halt UT's momentum, however, as sophomore Kayla Jeter knocked a kill off the left-side block and Powe and Marshall combined for yet another block.
Despite trailing by seven and facing set point, the Musketeers refused to go down without a fight. Deaton's squad proceeded to put quite a scare in the Tennessee faithful by scoring five straight to move the tally on the scoreboard to 24-23. Fortunately, the Big Orange was able to fend off the furious rally with a cross-court kill from Marshall on the outside.
A hard-fought set, featuring 10 ties and four lead changes ensued in the third frame, but Tennessee was able to hold on for a 25-20 triumph. Although Xavier took its largest lead of the afternoon in the middle of the game with a 7-2 run that put them up by three at 11-8, the Lady Vols were undeterred, using a short spree of their own to regain the advantage at 15-14.
Just moments later, with the two teams at a 17-17 stalemate, the Orange and White effectively ended the match by winning four straight points. Powe opened the spree with a kill, which was followed by a blast from Jeter that forced Deaton to call a timeout. Fowler brought the heat out of the break though, finishing off the run with an ace and a kill on a tip from the back row. The Musketeers inched back to within two, but UT closed out the match with a 4-1 run that featured kills by Jeter and Powe and a block by Cikra and Powe.
The Lady Vols will next be in action Friday, Sept. 11 when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on North Carolina at 7 p.m. in the opener of the Carolina Classic. UT will also square off against Colorado State and Marshall at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, the following day.
