University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
2-3 (0-0SEC)
Iowa State
2-2 (0-0Big 12)
Volleyball Suffers 3-0 Setback at Iowa State
September 05, 2014 | Volleyball
AMES, Iowa -- Playing its second true road contest of the season, Tennessee was swept by Iowa State 3-0 (14-25, 17-25, 16-25) Friday night at the Iowa State Challenge. Raina Hembry had five kills to lead UT while Taylor Johnson supplied 11 assists. Kanisha Jimenez had 12 digs to go along with four kills.
"I was pretty happy with a lot of what we did, but in every set we would make four or five errors in a row that really hurt us," said UT head coach Rob Patrick. "You can't give points to a really good and experienced team in Iowa State. That's just been the name of our season so far. We really put ourselves in good situations, playing solid volleyball -- nothing spectacular -- but solid. We have a lot of talent and we can go toe-to-toe with a team like Iowa State. We just have to continue to learn how to be consistent for long periods of time."
A series of extended Iowa State runs spelled doom for the Lady Vols in the first set. Trailing just 7-6 early, UT saw the Cyclones rattle off a quick 6-1 run to find some breathing room at 12-7. Ashley Mariani stemmed the tide with a kill for Tennessee, but the next six of the next seven points went the way of the home team to push its advantage to 17-8. The lead would grow to as much as 10 when another 5-0 spurt settled a 25-14 first-set win for ISU.
In set two, Tennessee looked much more organized from the outset, jumping out to a 5-1 advantage behind a kill from Bryant and quartet of Iowa State attack errors. A series of three straight UT points just moments later, punctuated by a kill from Jamie Lea, saw the Lady Vols reach their largest lead of the frame at 8-3. Lea's blast also gave setter and sophomore transfer Johnson her first assist in a Tennessee uniform.
"In the beginning of set two we did a very nice job of just playing solid volleyball," Patrick said. "Our challenge is to stay organized and stay consistent for longer stretches of time. I'm confident the players will do that. We passed well for extended periods of time tonight, but broke down at crucial times."
The home team would settle into a rhythm not long thereafter, though, running off five straights to work to a 9-9 tie. Then, with the score tied at 10-10, Iowa State kicked off a 6-2 rally to take a four-point cushion. UT would come no closer than three the rest of the set as it fell 25-17.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, Tennessee battled in the third set to keep within striking distance of the Cyclones through the midway point. UT benefitted from an ISU service error to get within two at 14-12, but it was another lengthy Iowa State spurt that gave the home team the separation it needed. The Cyclones would go on to outscore the Lady Vols 11-4 down the stretch to hand UT its third consecutive defeat.
The Lady Vols will close out its time at the Iowa State Challenge on Saturday night against Omaha at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be the first meeting all-time between UT and UNO.
"The purpose of the preseason is for us to get better and to see what we need to work on," said Patrick of Saturday's tournament finale. "We get to play a match tomorrow against a very organized Omaha team. We will need to match that organization in order to be successful."
