University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
1-0
Tennessee Tech
0-1
UT Starts Year with Sweep of Tennessee Tech
August 29, 2014 | Volleyball
BOONE, N.C. -- Tennessee volleyball started the 2014 campaign with a bang Friday afternoon, sweeping its way past Tennessee Tech 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17) in the opening match of the Appalachian Invitational.
Sophomore Jamie Lea paced the attack for UT, posting a match-high 17 kills and doing so at a .344 clip. Lea nearly had a double-double in the opener, finishing with nine total digs. Meanwhile, setter Lexi Dempsey handed out 32 assists -- another match-high -- and Bridgette Villano, who got the start at libero, scooped up a career-best 16 digs.
For the match, the Lady Vols (1-0) outhit the Golden Eagles (0-1) .242 to -.121. UT finished with 14 total blocks and finished with 49 digs compared to 33 from TTU.
"I was very pleased with this first match of the year," said UT head coach Rob Patrick. "The thing I was very, very happy about was our defense. Bridgette [Villano] and Megan [Hatcher], our defensive specialists, did a wonderful job in the backcourt along with Lexi Dempsey and Jamie Lea. They really did a fantastic job digging balls. When you out-dig somebody by 15 balls, you can be very happy with that performance."
A pair of Tennessee freshmen made their debut in Thursday's victory as Iesha Bryant and Kanisha Jimenez each got starting nods. Bryant closed the match with eight kills on a very efficient clip of .438. The Carthage, Texas, native was also particularly effective at the net defensively, coming away with a team-best five blocks on the afternoon. Jimenez, on the other hand, blasted four kills and dug out seven balls.
UT jumped out to a quick 9-3 advantage in set one behind a 6-2 spurt that featured four consecutive kills from Lea. TTU would answer, though, pulling itself to within three points midway through the frame at 16-13, but the Golden Eagles would come no closer as Tennessee closed the frame on a huge 9-2 rally. Jimenez delivered two kills in the deciding run.
Set two was tight at the start as the Golden Eagles grabbed a 10-8 advantage early. But again UT answered with a big run, rattling off the next seven points in a row to regain the lead at 15-10. A TTU attack error started the rally and Megan Hatcher served all seven points for the Lady Vols, who enjoyed three kills from Lea along the way.
TTU refused to go away, however, battling back to within two at 15-13. A Lea kill, a couple TTU errors, and a kill from Raina Hembry promptly alleviated the pressure though, putting UT ahead 19-13. Tennessee had little trouble from there, closing out the frame by a final tally of 25-14.
Lea and Hembry proved a handful during the second set, combining for 13 kills. Lea hammered seven and Hembry delivered six of her seven for the match.
In set three, the Lady Vols shot from the gate for a big 10-3 lead. Bryant smashed back-to-back kills to begin the sequence then combined with Ashley Mariani for a big block. The freshman would go on to finish with five kills in the set. After the quick start, UT kept the Golden Eagles at bay for the remainder of the set. Tennessee led by as many as 11 late in the frame and TTU would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
"I felt that the team really got more comfortable out there as the match went on," Patrick said of his team's strong season. "In the third set I thought we really played a nice, relaxed game. We came out and put a lot of pressure on Tennessee Tech with our serving and even with our passing."
Under Patrick, UT is now 14-4 in season openers.
Tennessee will wrap up its short stay at the Appalachian Invitational with two more matches on Saturday. The Lady Vols face Cleveland State at 10 a.m. ET before meeting host Appalachian State for a nightcap at 7 p.m.
