University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
7-3, 0-1SEC
Missouri
9-2, 1-0SEC
Mizzou Rallies To Defeat #17 UT In Five
September 12, 2012 | Volleyball
Sept. 12, 2012
COLUMBIA, Mo. - After taking a 2-0 lead in the match, the No. 17 Lady Vol volleyball team was upended by new Southeastern Conference member Missouri in five frames (25-20, 25-14, 25-27, 21-25, 9-15) to open the 2012 SEC slate in front of 3,114 fans at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
The Lady Vols fall to 7-3 on the campaign and 0-1 in the SEC, while the Tigers improve to 9-2 overall and 1-0 in the league their first season in the conference. UT outperformed Missouri in kills (72-59), assists (70-58) and digs (89-69). All three Tennessee marks were season highs.
Junior outside hitter Kelsey Robinson posted her second 20-20 match of the season and the fourth of her career with 23 kills and 24 digs, just three shy of her career best mark of 27 scoops. It was the eighth straight double-double for the junior and 35th of her career.
Sophomore Tiffany Baker added 18 kills, while seniors DeeDee Harrison and Leslie Cikra each had 11 spikes. Harrison hit .350 for the match, while Kayla Jeter led UT at a .375 clip. Jeter finished with seven kills.
Sophomore setter Mary Pollmiller led the match with 66 assists, just three shy of her career high. Defensively, junior libero Ellen Mullins had 17 digs and sophomore defensive specialist Nikki Brice scooped a career-high 15 balls.
Mizzou was led by All-American Lisa Henning, who totaled a match-high 26 kills on 65 attempts. The Tigers notched 18 team blocks, including 10 from middle block Whitney Little.
Down 5-1 to open the match, the Lady Vols rallied to cut the deficit to one at 5-4, and three consecutive Baker kills would make it 10-9 later in the game. Baker, who finished the opening set with eight kills, paced UT to an 8-2 run to put the Orange & White in front 23-17 late in the frame. A Mizzou error and kills from Robinson and Jeter gave the Lady Vols the 25-20 first set win. UT hit .405 and Baker swung at a .636 clip in the opener.
The Big Orange picked up where it left off in the first, jumping out to an 8-1 lead on the Tigers with an 8-0 run. Harrison had two kills and three blocks during the stretch. Mizzou cut the deficit to 11-6, but two Robinson blocks, including one solo, and a kill from the junior put the Lady Vols up 15-6. After a UT timeout, the Big Orange went on a 6-2 run to go up 22-13 and went on to win the set by a 25-14 margin. After two frames, Baker had 10 kills and hit .562, while Robinson had 12 digs and six kills. Harrison hit an even .500 (6-1-10) through two, while Cikra added six kills and hit .444.
The Lady Vols went up 3-0 in the third set and extended their lead to 20-15 late in the game. Anchored by Little, the Tigers made a furious rally to take a 22-21 lead with a 7-1 run. Tennessee fought off two Missouri set points as the game was winding down, but Missouri kills from Lisa Henning and Emily Wilson gave the squad its first SEC set, 27-25, and forced a fourth game.
Mizzou carried the momentum into the fourth game, jumping out to an 8-4 lead. Behind Robinson, Tennessee was able to tie the set at 18, but the Tigers finished the fourth on a 7-3 run to take the set, 25-21, and force a fifth set in their inaugural SEC match. Robinson eclipsed the 20-20 mark in the fourth, finishing the set with 21 kills and 24 digs on the match.
Again the Tigers jumped out to a lead, taking a 6-0 advantage in the fifth set and led 8-2 as the squads switched sides. Tennessee was able to fight off one match point, but Mizzou finished the match off with a cross-court kill to win the set, 15-9, and take the match in five.
The Big Orange continues the first week of SEC play when it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a matchup with the Crimson Tide (11-1) on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m. CT. UT shutout Alabama in both meetings last season.
