University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
8-19, 1-12SEC
Auburn
11-14, 3-9SEC
Lady Vol Attack Stymied at Auburn
November 09, 2014 | Volleyball
Nov. 9, 2014 AUBURN, Ala. -- For the second straight match Tennessee claimed the first set, but for the second straight match the Lady Vols were denied a victory as they fell 3-1 (28-26, 14-25, 22-25, 15-25) at Auburn Sunday afternoon. Kendra Turner finished with double digit kills for the third time in four matches while Lexi Dempsey recorded her team-high fifth double-double.
Fresh off a career-high 23-kill performance against Missouri, Turner again led UT (8-19, 1-12 SEC) with 11 kills on the day. She was followed by Jimenez's 10 kills -- her most since posting 10 in the Lady Vols' 3-0 sweep of Ole Miss on Oct. 26.
Dempsey's double-double came off 36 assists and 13 digs. Megan Hatcher was two digs shy of her career-best on Sunday, notching a match-high 23.
Still, the Lady Vols never quite found their offensive rhythm in a match that proved to be a real defensive struggle, finishing the match with an attack percentage of .098 -- their third lowest of the season and lowest since swinging just .078 on Sept. 6 against Omaha. Meanwhile, Auburn (11-14, 3-9 SEC) was able to grab the win on a hitting efficiency of just .191. Both teams finished in double figures in team blocks as the Lady Vols had 11 and the Tigers countered with 16.It was just the third time in conference play this season that UT has had 10 or more team blocks.
Tennessee never trailed in the opening set, but had plenty of work to do to hold off a resilient Auburn squad for the first stanza victory. Back-to-back kills from Turner followed by a Tiger attack error gave UT its largest lead of the match at 12-7.But AU would regroup after a quick timeout, rattling off seven of the game's next nine points out of the break to level things at 14-14.
UT kept the Tigers at bay on the ensuing sequence, regaining control at 20-15 after a Kelsey Bawcombe ace. That margin held as Tennessee looked to be on its way to comfortable first set win when the Lady Vols seized set point at 24-19. But the home team refused to go away, piecing together off a 5-0 spurt to put the set in the balance with a 24-24 deadlock.
The two sides traded points and UT reached set point on three more occasions before it was finally able to put the Tigers away when Turner and Raina Hembry teamed up for a block assist on the left side.
Tennessee claimed the first set despite posting five fewer kills than their Tiger counterpart. Still, UT finished the frame with an attack percentage of .263 against .146 for Auburn.
Despite the first-set loss, the Tigers' late push supplied them with momentum heading into the second frame. UA opened up a 9-4 lead to begin the set and never looked back from there, cruising to a 25-14 win that tied things up at a game apiece. A .357 hitting efficiency powered the home team, while the Lady Vols swung just .059.
A 6-0 run midway through the third set broke a 13-13 tie in favor of Auburn, giving the Tigers a 19-13 lead. But Tennessee found a renewed fight out of a timeout when Kanisha Jimenez mashed a kill before teaming up with Hembry for a block assist. Those points helped UT rally all the way to within a single point at 23-22, but it was the Tigers who made the final push to take a 25-22 victory.
With its back now against the wall, Tennessee battled Auburn point-for-point in the fourth set. Still, it was the home team that broke the 6-6 deadlock with a 5-1 run to take an 11-7 advantage. Another 5-1 spurt later in the frame put the home team ahead 18-10 -- a deficit the Lady Vols were unable to crawl out of as it finished the set with another sub-.100 attack percentage. The 25-15 fourth set final gave Auburn the victory, snapping the Tigers' four-match home losing streak.
Iesha Bryant finished the match with seven kills -- her highest total since notching eight on Sept. 18 against Memphis. She added four total blocks, second only to Hembry's team-high seven.
Tennessee's three-match road trip rolls on next weekend when the Lady Vols travel to LSU and Texas A&M. UT faces the Tigers of LSU at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday before concluding the weekend on Sunday with a 2:30 p.m. first serve in College Station.
