University of Tennessee Athletics
Jeter Picks Up Pair of Weekly Honors
October 04, 2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 4, 2010
By Cameron Harris, Assistant Athletics Director
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - After leading the University of Tennessee volleyball team to a pair of sweeps last week, junior outside hitter Kayla Jeter has been named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career, the league office announced Monday. Jeter also took home Lady Vol Athlete of the Week honors after helping the Lady Vols take out both Kentucky and Ole Miss in straight sets.
A native of Solon, Ohio, Jeter first claimed the weekly offensive honors from the SEC in the final week of the 2009 campaign. Her award this week marks the 20th time a Tennessee player has been honored for their offensive exploits since 2004, more than any other school in the league. Florida is second during that timeframe with 17, while Georgia and LSU are tied for a distant third with 11 each.
Jeter was the driving force offensively for the Lady Vols last week as they swept Kentucky on national television on Wednesday before making quick work of Ole Miss on Friday. The hard-hitting right-hander topped the Tennessee squad with a total of 29 kills on the week, good for a staggering 4.83 per set, while hitting at a terrific .328 clip with just seven errors in the two contests combined.
Jeter, who only started playing all six rotations and passing last weekend, was solid in her newfound defensive role as well, collecting 22 digs and four blocks and successfully handling 31 of the 32 serves that came her way. Against Kentucky on ESPNU, Jeter registered the first double-double of her career with a team-high 13 kills and a career-best 13 digs. She also had a .303 attack average and a pair of blocks in UT's first sweep over the Wildcats since Nov. 6, 2005.
Just two days later versus Ole Miss, Jeter missed out on her second consecutive double-double by the slimmest of margins, tallying 16 kills on .353 hitting with nine digs. With her stellar performances last week, Jeter vaulted into the ninth spot on the SEC kills chart with an average of 3.13 per set. She also ranks second on the team, behind only fifth-year senior middle blocker Leah Hinkey, with an astounding .325 hitting percentage for the season.
Also nominated for the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week award were freshman cross-country runner Amber Zimmerman, sophomore midfielder Kylie Bono from the soccer team and junior golfer Nathalie Mansson. Zimmerman paced the Lady Vols for the third time in as many meets this season with a readout of 22 minutes, 36 seconds at the Brooks Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa.
Bono, meanwhile, posted her fourth goal over a four-match stretch and her second match-winning score of the season to lead the Lady Vols to a 1-0 win over Vanderbilt on Friday before firing a team-high three shots on frame during UT's 1-0 loss to Kentucky on Sunday. Rounding out the group is Mansson who nabbed the 11th top 10 finish of her career at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Wolcott, Colo., from Sept. 26-28., leading the Lady Vol golf team to a fifth-place finish at the tournament.
Jeter and the Lady Vol volleyball team will next be in action when they hit the road again this weekend. They will first travel to square off with Arkansas at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 8, in Fayetteville, Ark., before making the trek to Baton Rouge for a 2:30 p.m. ET showdown against No. 16 LSU two days later. The contest against the Razorbacks will be televised live on Cox Sports Television.
