University of Tennessee Athletics
VB CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. South Carolina
November 17, 2014 | Volleyball
VS
November 19, 2014 | 6 p.m. ET
THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA | Knoxville, Tenn.
SOUTH CAROLINA
TENNESSEE
WK13
BROADCAST INFO
- Wednesday's match will be broadcast to a national television audience on ESPNU. Sam Gore will handle play-by-play duties and will be joined by analyst Dain Blanton.
- ESPNU can be found on DirecTV channel 208 and DISH Network Channel 141. Comcast, Time Warner, and other cable subscribers should check local listings.
- ESPNU can also be accessed online or via a mobile device through WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app. Click here and log in using your satellite or cable account information.
PROMOTIONS
- Wednesday is $1 NIGHT at Thompson-Boling Arena!
- Tickets at the door are just $1 and hot dogs and small drinks at the concession stands are also just $1 each until match break.
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THE SERIES
- Wednesday marks the 63rd meeting all-time between Tennessee and South Carolina in a series that dates back to 1974. UT holds a 19-10 edge in matches played in Knoxville, but dropped last season's meeting at TBA by a 3-1 score line before avenging the loss with a 3-0 sweep in Columbia four weeks later. Head coach Rob Patrick is 19-16 against SC in his 17 years on Rocky Top.
- Oct. 25, 2013: UT got 14 kills and four blocks from Raina Hembry as it swept its way past South Carolina for its first SEC win of the season. As a team, the Lady Vols hit .318 on the night while limiting SC to just .072. Shealyn Kolosky added nine kills in a match that saw the UT middles dictate the offensive rhythm.
- Sept. 29, 2013: Tennessee dropped the 2013 SEC season opener to South Carolina, 3-1, in Knoxville. Jamie Lea had 13 kills in the match while Lexi Dempsey finished with 42 assists. With the win, the Gamecocks snapped a nine-match losing streak to Tennessee in the all-time series.
- Nov. 11, 2012: Playing their final road match of the 2012 season, the Lady Vols topped South Carolina, 3-0, in Columbia. DeeDee Harrison had 12 kills and four blocks to help UT limit SC's attack to just a .089 hitting efficiency. The win was the 19th of the season for the Lady Vols on their way to a 22-8 record and an NCAA Tournament berth.
TENNESSEE (8-21, 1-14 SEC)
- Last week, the Lady Vols went winless in a pair of road matches at LSU and Texas A&M. The losses dropped UT to 1-11 on the road this season and 0-8 away from home in SEC play.
- The match is the penultimate home contest for Tennessee and is UT's first home contest in nearly two weeks.
- Freshman Kanisha JImenez paced UT offensively in the two matches, turning in performances of 11 and eight kills, respectively. She also had a team-high 12 digs at Texas A&M on Sunday. For Jimenez, her 11 kills at LSU were her highest kill output since turning in 11 way back on Sept. 20 in a win over Montana State.
- Setter Taylor Johnson also had a nice weekend, getting things rolling with a double-double performance in Baton Rouge that included 29 assists and 10 digs. She followed that with 17 helpers at A&M.
- Johnson's double-dip was her second of the season and made her the fifth Lady Vol to record multiple double-doubles in 2014.
- Defensive specialists/liberos Bridgette Villano and Megan Hatcher are neck-and-neck for the team lead in digs. Villano currently averages 3.01 d/s -- a figure that ranks 12th in the SEC -- while Hatcher is right behind her at 2.98, good for 13th in the league. Hatcher started both matches last weekend at libero.
- Middle blockers Iesha Bryant and Raina Hembry each rank inside the SEC's top 20 in blocks per set. Bryant, who has led UT in total blocks a team-high 13 times this season, is eighth at 1.03 b/s, and Hembry ranks 15th at 9.01.
SOUTH CAROLINA (15-12, 5-9 SEC)
- The Gamecocks come into the week fresh off two tough, five-set losses in SEC play last week. SC fell to both Arkansas and Auburn by identical 3-2 score lines and has now played three straight five-set matches.
- SC is the SEC's top blocking team, averaging 2.44 blocks per set to pace the conference.
- Leading that charge is junior middle blocker Darian Dozier. The Maryland-native is averaging 1.24 blocks per frame and ranks third in the SEC in the category.
- Dozier set SC's single-season blocks record on Sunday against Auburn, tallying five stuffs to set the program mark in the rally scoring era with 129. She is also currently eighth on SC's career blocks list.
- Sophomore outside hitter KoKo Atoa-Williams leads the team in double-doubles with nine and added another on Sunday when she tied her career-high with 18 kills and 10 digs against Auburn.
- SC is 4-5 in true road matches this season and has not won on the road since a 3-2 win at Auburn on Oct. 5.
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UP NEXT
- Tennessee plays its final home match next Wednesday night when it plays host to Arkansas at Thompson-Boling Arena at 6 p.m. ET. The match will be televised live on the SEC Network.
- UT will be looking to level the season series with the Razorbacks after having dropped the season's first meeting, 3-0, all the way back on Sept. 26 in the SEC season-opener.
- Wednesday night will also be Senior Night at Thompson-Boling Arena and UT volleyball will honor the careers and efforts of senior middle blocker Shealyn Kolosky and senior team manager Kourosh Kaghazi.
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Game Notes
Players Mentioned
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